Curse of Each Season
by Meimirigu
Summary: An ancient and terrible curse was cast on Kasane Teto. If her family can't find a way to cure it in a year, she'll die. After calling on every doctor they knew, her family finally has to settle for a quirky specialist. Will he be able to cure her in time?
1. Something Controversial

**Curse of Each Season**

_Something Controversial_

A quiet girl traced the faded characters on her worn but much loved scroll with a dainty finger. She looked upon it admiringly, knowingly that it near told the exact story of her life. It was illustrated with paintings of the four seasons, sprawling across the tan paper as if the colors were alive.

She smiled warmly, moving her position on the floor to a slightly more comfortable sitting position. Smoothly rolling it back up, she tenderly placed it to the side with a few other of her dearest belongings. She crawled back to the middle of her room and sat on her futon, feeling the usual sleepiness come over her.

It was winter now, the season of sleep and purification. She was always drowsy and close to silent during this time, and during the coldest days, she could be completely mute. She sighed, exhaling chilled breath.

A charming girl with peach colored hair entered the room.

"Kasane-sama? Would you like to come out and have tea with us? You rarely do during these months, but I thought maybe, if you're not too tired..."

"Of course, Momo. I'd love to." She tried to stand up, but was too weak and abruptly fell to her knees, whimpering a bit as she did so.

"Oh, Kasane-sama..." Momo said, near silent, rushing to help.

**X**

"We've already called upon every doctor from this side of the mountains. Probably twice for each one. And every time, the answer is always the same: they can't cure her, it's a curse. We've even summoned a doctor who specializes in these sorts of things. Ted, it affected her mother, her grandmother, her _great_ grandmother, and countless women from generations before that. And we both know she doesn't have much time left if we don't get rid of this disease soon. She won't survive next winter!" A proud girl with a long black ponytail slammed her palms down on the table, declaring attention.

"Mako-sama... We can't just let her die, we know that. But what can we do?" Momo frowned, shifting her sorrowful gaze away.

Ted looked at them, frustrated. Teto was his sister, he couldn't let her go. He wouldn't. Placing his hands over his eyes for a moment, he tried to think. Was there anyone he knew of, anywhere, who could save his sister?

He entwined his fingers and rested his chin upon them. The only thing that could help her now was something controversial. Maybe something supernatural, or occult...

"That's it!" Ted began to grin, and his face lit up.

"What's it?" Mako frowned at him impatiently.

"I know someone who can help Teto!"

"Who?"

* * *

_Oh hai! Ah, I'm so hyper right now. Maybe it's cause I'm so glad to have started this. I have had this idea for so long! Or maybe it's because I just discovered the hoard of Love is War Remixes on Youtube. I swear, I don't know where they've been hiding all this time._

_I'm really glad to be able to write a story that has supernatural parts in it. I've never written anything like this, so it's exciting. And don't worry, this is only the beginning to the story. I know, I didn't explain much, and it's short, but I'll update quickly, I hope._

_Anyways, thank you dearly for reading. Please review! Tell me what you think, but try to be nice, please. Stay wonderful! ~Meimei_


	2. A Specialist

**_(There are a few words in Japanese. Explanations are at the end.)_**

**Curse of Each Season**

_A Specialist_

Kasane Ted slid the front door closed, slamming it slightly. A shorter figure stood next to him.

"Let me thank you again for coming, It's an incredible favor, you have no idea..." Ted thanked him for the tenth time.

"It's fine. It's not as if I have a home to go back to or anything like that. You're forgetting that I'm a traveler. I have no problem stopping to save Teto's life."

"I'm just glad you happened to be passing through..." Mako stepped into the entryway to greet their visitor.

Momo stuck her head in the room as well. "Come in, I've prepared tea!"

**X**

Mako, Ted, and their guest sat around the _Kotatsu_ in one of the many rooms of their house.

"It's been far too long since you've come to pass this side of the mountain. I can't even say how fortunate we are to have you here."

"It's _fine_!" The visitor said in an exaggerated fashion.

Ted looked startled for a moment, but collected himself. "So Ritsu, what have you been doing since you last came here?"

"I'm a traveler. Honestly, Ted, what did you think I had been doing?" Ritsu smirked, eying the plate of _onigiri_ that Momo had set on the table.

"You can eat one if you'd like, Ritsu-sama..." Momo said shyly.

He immediately took one and started stuffing his mouth.

Mako smiled. "You're still the same as you were before, huh?"

Ristu nodded, before he chugged his cup of tea. "I've never changed. So, Ted, from what you've told me, Teto's finally inherited this family curse?"

"Yes," Ted frowned, with a fretful expression passing over his face. "This curse, '_Shiki Oriori no Noroi_' or 'Curse of Each Season', has affected women in the Kasane family for as long as anyone can remember. It has been passed from generation to generation, and death for those who it affects is inevitable and slow," He paused, noticing worry in Ritsu's eyes. "But before death comes, the victim goes through a peculiar yearly cycle. Every season, they change, physically and emotionally. For example, during the hot summer months, Teto is happy and full of energy, due to Summer being the season of celebration. But now, in winter, she becomes the exact opposite. She is weak and near silent almost all of the time. Her body temperature even drops, so much so that even her breath is cold." Ted pulled out Teto's aged scroll and handed it to Ritsu.

He unrolled it, reading the first sentence aloud. "_The Legend of the Seasons' Curse._.. this is your family's legend as to how you got cursed in the first place, right? Jeez, this scroll is ancient..." He fingered the tanned paper.

"According to this, the curse was cast upon our family by the Goddess of the seasons." Mako informed him.

"Ah, I see. The story's right here..." Ritsu read it to them.

"_When our ancestors first settled on this side of the mountain, the daughter of Lord Kasane discovered an odd ability: the power to grow crops during any season, in any type of weather, even during the coldest months. Utilizing this ability to it's fullest, she planted crops through every season. It was an incredibly fortunate year for her family._

_Although, as the year came to a close, Lord Kasane's daughter set out for a walk in the snowy forest. When she reached the deepest part, the Goddess of the seasons descended from the sky to punish the poor girl for her power._

_'It is unnatural for crops to flourish in winter the way they have been. You have caused me rage and embarrassment, and you will suffer for it, by following each season's cycle and feeling their might for all time!'_

_So a curse was set upon her, and she instantly became one with winter. She fell into a silent sleep, and was found the next morning, frozen to death, buried under a hill of snow. Several years after, another woman in the Kasane family suffered from the same curse, and followed each season for a very long time, until a winter came when she was too weak to continue._

_Forever after this, a woman from each generation of the Kasane family has fallen victim to the Curse of Each Season..."_

"So, have you heard of any other curses like this? You've researched countless supernatural events, correct? You must know a way to cure it, Ritsu-sama!" Momo pleaded desperately.

Ritsu cleared his throat. "Before I can tell you anything I know, you've got to promise to believe everything I say, no matter how strange it seems. I'm a bit of an expert on this sort of... happening, but some of the things I might tell you could be a bit...controversial..."

Ted chuckled a bit, noticing that he had worded it pretty much the same way. "Ritsu, we believe in the curse that Teto has. We believe in goddesses. I don't think anything else you might inform us about would be surprising."

"Alright then, let me tell you what I think."

* * *

_Well, I hope this chapter explained a bit more. Did anyone expect that the specialist was Ritsu? Just curious._

_Most of this chapter was dialog, which I hope is alright. And I know you didn't see Teto in this either, but she'll be back next chapter, so bear with me._

_There are a few unanswered questions still, I think, but everything will be discussed in the end. Thanks for reading! Tell me your thoughts in a review! Stay marvelous! ~Meimei_

_((Another note, added later: In this story, I said_ 'Kagamine' _rather than _'Kasane' _several times. I fixed it, don't worry. Maybe you didn't even notice if you read this story before that. Ah, I'm such a fool.))  
_

_

* * *

**Translations:**_

**_Kotatsu: a low wooden table covered by a blanket. A table top sits upon it, and there is usually a heat source underneath._**

_**Onigiri: a rice ball.**_


	3. Explaining Things

**Curse of Each Season**

_Explaining Things**  
**_

"I think that Teto's curse can be broken." Ritsu said matter-of-factly, placing his hands down on the table.

"Well that's good," Ted looked at him blankly. "But is that really all you have to say?"

"Nope! I've got lots more to say. But there are some things you've got to understand first. Let me start by explaining something about religion." He leaned forward, as if he were telling a secret, and rested his weight on his elbows. "Religion is something people came up with before we had science to explain things. The ancient Greeks looked around and asked, 'How did that happen?' and they made up countless myths to tell, and gods to worship. They believed in them, too," he cleared his throat. "But were these myths and gods influenced by real beings? Did these 'gods' exist? Or were people in ancient times _really_ that creative? Truthfully, most of the mythological monsters you read about in books are really just demons or deformed animals. Take unicorns for example. People mistook a really skinny Rhino for a horse with a horn. It's a simple explanation."

"What are you getting at, Ritsu? How do unicorns relate to our problem?" Mako stood up and balled her hands into fists.

Ritsu held his hands in front of him defensively. "Relax, I'm about to explain it." Mako reluctantly sat back down. Ritsu took another onigiri from the plate on the table. There was an awkward silence as he bit into it and chewed slowly.

He finished it, licking his fingers. "As I was saying, people make mistakes often. Truthfully, I've seen thousands of demons. I've met more monsters and spirits than you can count. But I have never, ever, seen a god. And evidently, this makes me think that this 'Goddess of the Seasons' isn't who we think she is."

"So," Ted was staring at Ritsu, doubtfully. "You mean to tell us that who ever put a curse on Teto is some _other_ sort of oddity?"

"Exactly!" Ritsu flashed him a silly grin.

"R-ritsu-sama, that's... but the Kasane family recorded it in the scroll!" Momo stuttered.

"Like I said before, people make stuff up to explain how things happen! Think about it. In the scroll, it never says anything about someone going into the forest _with _Lord Kasane's daughter. How would they know what the Goddess said? It's not like Lord Kasane's daughter could have told have told the story herself, she was dead under a pile of snow! Or maybe she _did _write this story, and wasn't really the first to die of the curse. Everything this scroll says could be lies! The people who made this lived hundreds of years ago, you have no idea if they were trustworthy-"

"_Dammit Ritsu!"_ Ted snapped. "My ancestors were trustworthy! They wouldn't make something like this up! There's no way such a huge lie could last this long anyways!"

The room became silent. For a moment, nobody moved.

"Anything could happen, Ted. There's a good chance that the whole story of the curse is a lie," Ritsu frowned, and then sighed deeply. "But, just because I haven't seen something doesn't mean I don't believe in it. I'm not ruling out the possibility that this whole problem was caused by the '_Goddess of the Seasons_'. And I'm sorry if the things I've been telling you are offensive, but you're going to have to listen to me if you want to save Teto's life."

"Why did I just hear yelling?" Teto stepped into the room, leaning heavily against the wall. Her whole body shivered.

"Teto! What are you doing up? You'll hurt yourself!" Mako Jumped up to steady her friend.

"Ritsu? What are you doing here?" Teto looked down at him with a distant look. She leaned onto Mako's shoulder.

"I'm here to get rid of your curse," He smiled at her. "Why don't you go back to bed? Here, I'll help you." He spoke to her gently, as if she were a child.

Teto reluctantly agreed and let them lead her back to her room.

**X**

"She's very cold, and her pulse is pretty slow," Ritsu was examining Teto.

"Stop talking about me as if I'm not here..." She objected, slapping his hands away with a lot of effort.

"And stop telling us things we've already heard," Mako frowned at him. "Do you know how many doctors we had look at her before you?"

Ritsu furrowed his brow and continued to inspect Teto.

Ted and Mako entered Teto's room.

"Ritsu, what are we going to do? Is there anything we can try to make Teto better? Like, a ritual or something?" Ted looked exhausted. His tone of voice was passive.

"I think I've got a plan. There are quite a few things I'd like to try, but a lot of them are only possible in the spring or summer. That means I'm going to have to stay here until then."

Ted waved his hand and started sauntering away. "Stay for as long as you need. I can't take any more of this right now. I'm going to bed. Momo, please show him to one of the guest rooms."

"I suppose it _is_ getting rather late." Momo started twiddling her thumbs.

"Is it? I'm not tired." Ritsu got up and stretched.

"Well I am. And so is Teto, clearly." Mako stood up next to him.

Teto was indeed falling asleep where she sat.

Ritsu threw his hands in the air in an expression of exasperation. "Okay then. Let's pick things back up in the morning!"

* * *

_Hello again. I'm sorry it's taken me so long to post this, but it's December now and I'm busier than ever._

_I hope the talk of religion in the beginning didn't offend you. I apologize if it did, really.  
_

_Things are going to start picking up from here, I think. There'll be more action, maybe.  
_

_I'm going to try to update soon! Please review! This story will get better, hopefully. Just wait! And stay wonderful! ~Meimei_


	4. Bad Luck

**Curse of Each Season**

_Bad Luck  
_

Ritsu rolled over in his futon. It was still dark, but he could see fairly well. Rubbing his eyes, he got out of bed.

It was silent in the Kasanes' home, as nobody was awake and the snow outside absorbed all sound. Even Ritsu's footsteps were muted, and he didn't exactly step lightly. He moved down the hall, and entered the room in which he had spent most of the previous night discussing Teto's curse with her family. There was a cabinet on the wall in the far corner. Ritsu slipped over, opened it, and took out a blank scroll and writing supplies. With his arms full, he clumsily placed the items on the table and sat down.

He unrolled the scroll, and brought the brush to the paper, but stopped, realizing he would need some light in order to write properly. He sighed, sulking back to the cabinet.

**X **

Strangely, Teto couldn't sleep. It was odd, putting her curse into consideration. It was winter, she should have been too tired to move. Still, she slowly crawled out of bed and down the hall in search of something a bit more entertaining.

**X**

Ritsu sifted through the cluttered cabinet. He pulled a book out in hopes to find a candle or lamp behind it, but instead it just triggered an avalanche of papers and scrolls to fall.

"FUU-!" Ritsu nearly cussed as something heavy drove into his foot. "Ow!"

He heard a door slide open behind him.

"Ritsu, what are you doing?" Teto stood in the doorway.

He tried shoving some of the clutter back into the cabinet, but it toppled out again. "I was trying to work some things out, and I tried looking for a lamp, but I had...a bit of trouble..." He scowled at the mountain of papers at his feet.

"Ah," Teto nodded in understanding. "I have one. Wait here." She slid the door closed and hobbled back down the hall.

Ritsu bent down, scooped up most of the miscellaneous items, and stuffed them into the cabinet. He slammed it closed and ignored the few papers on the floor that he had missed. He sat down at the table by his scroll as Teto slowly entered the room again.

A small oil lamp hung from her hand. She set it down in the middle of the table and sat on her knees next to Ritsu.

"Wait a minute, Teto, are you alright?" Ritsu questioned the pink haired girl.

"I-I'm fine. It's the curse, I'm f-fine." Her teeth were chattering, and she shivered. "Please, don't make me go back to bed."

"I won't." He assured her. But he quickly got up and went back to his room to get her a blanket. He returned, and wrapped it around her.

"Thank you," She cuddled held the blanket closer. "So, what are you doing, again?"

He picked up the brush and dipped it in some of the ink. "I'm making a list."

"Of what?"

"Theories. Theories about your curse, what cast it upon your family, and how we can break it."

"Oh, alright."

He began writing on the tan paper with quick, short strokes.

_**Theory number one: The curse is caused by bad luck.**_

"What is that supposed to mean?" Teto frowned at the words he wrote on the paper.

"Your family might have had awful luck."

"Well, obviously, but wouldn't that just mean bad things happen to us? It wouldn't cause a curse, right? I mean, maybe a curse of bad luck, when nothing goes good, but something like the one I have? How would that work?"

Ritsu twirled the brush in his hand. "Maybe, long ago, your ancestors did something. Maybe they broke a mirror. Maybe they killed a ladybug. Maybe they set a shrine on fire," Ritsu shrugged. "All of those things are considered bad luck, some more than others. Now, luck is usually _not _affiliated with karma or fate or something along those lines, as many people think. Usually, luck is just mischievous spirits playing pranks on people to scare their pants off. Certain spirits are known to only target people who do certain things, say, break a mirror. That's how myths about what causes bad luck develop. But the pranks these spirits pull can get rather serious, and have been known to result in death. That's why bad luck is taken very seriously by some people."

"But how does that make a curse happen?" Teto wore an expression of utter confusion across her face.

"Maybe your ancestors were very superstitious. Maybe they did something that _could _cause a spirit to target them, thus giving them 'bad luck'. Now, Teto, if you were terrified of bad luck, and you just broke a mirror, what would you do?"

"I would... figure out a way to _get rid_ of my bad luck."

"Right!" Ritsu exclaimed. "And one way of getting rid of diseases, problems, and bad luck, is to go to a shrine and ask the spirits to help or forgive you. But not all spirits are forgiving and kind. Some spirits are hateful and mean. So, my theory is, that your ancestors went to a shrine to get rid of their bad luck, and got cursed by an evil, annoyed spirit without even knowing it!" Ritsu pointed his finger In the air, proving his point.

"That theory... is confusing..." Teto scratched her head.

"True. Most of the things I think up are more complicated than useful," He turned back to his scroll and tapped the brush, making a few drops of ink fall on the paper. "But it makes sense. People make things up because they don't know the truth. You know that scroll you have, with the story of your curse on it?"

Teto nodded slowly.

"Maybe someone felt that they needed a story behind the curse. And then, Lord Kasane's daughter wandered off in the night and froze to death, and that gave them an idea. Or maybe, the curse kicked in _after_ she died. The story really _does _make sense if bad luck is a factor in it."

Teto smiled. "It's really fun to listen to your theories. It's like hearing a story."

Ritsu gave her his silly grin. "Oh, really? Well I've got more, if you want to hear them."

* * *

_I am such a fool._

_Why? Because a few chapters ago, in the part with the scroll, I said 'Kagamine' rather than 'Kasane', like I meant. And I was going to mention it in the last chapter, but guess what? I forgot. So here I am now, telling you about my ridiculous, confusing, inexcusable mistake. But we all make mistakes, right?_

_Still, I apologize for confusing you, if I did._

_So, because I feel really bad about it, I updated extra fast. Kind of._

_Anyways, I like that this story is turning into some sort of mystery. I, personally, really like the direction it's going in. Not to mention, it's really fun to write. I usually don't plan my stories out, so it's suspenseful for me, not knowing what I'll write next._

_Please continue to read this story! And review, too, nicely. What do you think of Ritsu's theory? Stay less foolish than I am, okay? ~Meimei_


	5. Avoiding the Issue

**Curse of Each Season**

_Avoiding the Issue_

"Okay. I'll listen. But wait, Ritsu, how would you cure the curse if it was caused by bad luck?" Teto started having a coughing fit. Ritsu patted he back, gently. When she stopped, he answered her question.

"You would go to the spirit who cursed you and do one of three things."

"What three things?"

"I was getting there, be patient. The first is beg for the spirit's forgiveness, and ask it to undo the curse."

"But wouldn't that be how you got cursed in the first place? By asking it for something?"

Ritsu looked at his scroll thoughtfully, and then at Teto. "You might have to bring a particularly nice offering."

"Hmm..." Teto looked away for a moment, still shivering. Ritsu could feel the cold coming from her body, even through the blanket.

"The other way you could break the curse is by preforming a ritual at the spirit's shrine. That's probably th best way, as nobody gets hurt. Basically, preforming a ritual would mean using magic to force the spirit to undo the curse."

"So, what's the third one?"

"To kill the spirit."

Those four words resonated through Teto's mind. Would she have to kill something to break the curse? What if something went wrong and she were to die instead?

Ritsu began writing more on the scroll.

_**Theory number two: There is a cursed item in the Kasane Household**_

"That one's pretty self explanatory. I'm thinking that the scroll itself is the cursed item, but honestly, it's too nice of an artifact to destroy or sell. So, again, we would have to preform a ritual to get rid of the curse inside of it, " Ritsu dipped the brush in ink again. "Although, I want this to be a last resort, in case the ritual doesn't work, something goes terribly wrong, and we _have_ to destroy it."

"Why can't we try that now? It's my scroll, and I don't mind if we have to get rid of it." Teto's voice was becoming hoarse.

"No, we don't have the supplies, anyways. The ritual is actually pretty complicated."

"Oh..." She looked down at her hands, disappointed. She wanted to get rid of this curse, no matter what.

Ritsu began writing again.

_**Theory number three: There is a cursed place nearby.**_

"This one is also simple to explain. All we would have to do to test this theory is move you someplace else, I think. There's a few landmarks nearby, each guarded by their own spirit. It's reasonable to think that one of them is angry that people are settling on their land."

"Then let's go. We can do that now, I'll be fine," Teto suggested.

"You're sick. I'm not allowing it." Ritsu persisted to avoid her suggestions.

She pouted, childishly, and shifted her gaze back to the list.

_**Theory number four: Someone skilled at witchcraft cursed the Kasane family.**_

"Would that mean I was cursed by a wizard or something?" Teto asked, curiously.

Ritsu chuckled. "It could be a wizard, I suppose. If there is such a thing. I was thinking more along the lines of a fortune teller, though. They were known to travel through places like where we are,in the mountains, and cast spells on those who they disliked. Although most of them are gone today, you can easily find records of their travels and descendants. There is an easy spell we could try if we found someone related to the person who originally cast the curse. So, if we find the fortune teller's descendant, we might be able to try this."

_**Theory number five: The Goddess of the Seasons cast the curse.**_

"This is a last resort. There's a very, very small chance that this is the correct theory."

"Why is that? It says in the scroll that this is what happened."

"I don't think there is truly such thing as a god. Spirits are the closest thing we have, and there are quite a few of them, so it's more likely that one of them cursed you." He twirled the brush in his hand.

"I believe that there are gods. If there aren't, then I don't know what to think." Teto said, slowly.

Ritsu frowned at this. He began gathering the brushes and jars of ink, organizing them on one side of the table. They sat there for a few moments, with only the noise of clinking ink bottles to listen to. Then they heard the door slide open again.

"What are you two doing up? It's really early." Mako stood in the doorway, frowning at them.

"We couldn't sleep, and we made a list of theories as to how I got cursed." Teto answered her question, softly. She seemed distant.

"Theories, huh?" She moved over and grabbed the scroll. She unrolled it, scanned the five theories, and then handed it back to Ritsu, all in a very rushed fashion.

"Why don't we test out one of those today?"

Ritsu twirled a lock of hair, thoughtfully. "I suppose we could," He frowned. "But I think Teto needs rest. Maybe we could try it some other time."

There was another period of silence as the temperature in the room seemed to drop a few degrees.

"Why do you keep avoiding it?" Teto asked him, quietly, as her eyes began to water. "All I want to do is break this curse so I can live a few more years. And you keep avoiding it, as if just creating theories will make me better!"

"I just...don't want you to get hurt. You're so weak right now, Teto. We could try these in the spring, when you're a bit better, maybe. It's only a few months away," Ritsu talked to her calmly, but she was uncontrollable.

"Spring could go to hell!" Teto tried to stand, but she collapsed to the ground in a coughing fit. Mako rushed over to help her, but Teto refused and pushed her away, trembling. She stopped coughing after a few seconds, to look up at Ritsu as tears streamed down her cheeks. "Get out of my home! I don't need you if you're not going to help me! _Leave!_"

The words stabbed through Ritsu's chest like icicles. He was shocked for a moment, at the hostility of Teto, but quickly understood that he was unwanted.

He bowed to them deeply, turned away in shame, and stepped out of the door.

* * *

_I just wanted to remind you guys that I actually have no idea what I'm talking about here, with the spirits and whatnot. I'm pretty much just pulling this stuff out of thin air, mostly._

_And Teto seems rather out of character in some parts of this chapter. She seems...bipolar. But just because she's cursed doesn't mean she can't have feelings, I suppose.  
_

_Also, it seems that I've excluded the theories of aliens and time travelers. This makes me a bit sad, as aliens and time travelers are quite interesting. Maybe I'll include them later? Ha, probably not.  
_

_Actually, I'm not sure if I'll finish this. It's been really good practice, but I'm getting a bit too serious about the theories with gods, and I'm worried people are offended._

_Tell me what you think in a review. Seriously, I need your input on this. Be inspiring! ~Meimei_


	6. Ice and Splinters

**Curse of Each Season**

_Ice and Splinters_

Ritsu felt colder than he ever had before.

Plus, he felt as if Teto had slapped him across the face. He had only tried to help, but he couldn't do anything, and she probably hated him now.

The wind bit at his flesh. He put an arm up to shield his eyes. It was snowing sideways, and what was already on the ground was flying up in flurries. Ritsu felt as if it was pulling him down, begging him to give up and freeze to death. He thought about doing it, too, until he saw several blurry orange lights in the distance.

He moved towards them. Even if they weren't shelter, they were pretty. They made him think of fire, summer, love, and everything that wasn't around him at the time. He let his body move on its own. He climbed up a few stone stairs, forced himself to walk several feet, and used the last of his strength to enter what appeared to be a shrine. The lights were hung outside, but they were inside as well, glowing proudly.

He slid the door closed and collapsed, exhausted. He lay there for a moment, with his eyes closed. He let his mind go blank, and then took a deep breath.

The air was warm, and the floor was made of wood. Winter seemed to be shut out of this place. Ritsu smiled, and opened his eyes slowly. He sat up and looked around.

He was in a room filled with glowing lamps. They hung from the ceiling, and sat in every corner of the room. This place made him happy, and it was nice, but he didn't understand why it was so warm.

Ritsu was suspicious.

He pushed himself onto one knee, and from there, forced himself to stand. He looked down at the floor, and noticed that the lamps' light gave him several shadows. They extended from his feet and went in all directions. He felt cornered, surrounded by copies of himself. He was caught in a sort of trance, staring at his silhouettes, but snapped back to reality when he heard a sound like the cracking of ice, followed by the sound of splintering wood.

The floor swelled and a great roar filled the air. A blast of wind threw Ritsu into the wall. He let out a cry as he slid to the ground, and was paralyzed momentarily. He glanced up just in time to see the floor of the shrine explode in a storm of wood and ice. A blue beast erupted from the break in the floor, growling and hissing. Looking somewhat similar to a serpent, it writhed and twisted, slamming its heavy body against anything it could, including Ritsu. The beast was so huge it completely filled the room, and part of its frozen body swung out and shoved Ritsu against the wall, suffocating and crushing him. It snarled and displayed its jagged teeth, while all Ritsu could do was tremble with fear and grab at the vast creature's frozen flesh in an attempt to escape. He watched as the monster began literally tearing the shrine apart. It seemed to be in pain. Shards of ice were thrown in all directions. The roof was torn to shreds as the demon slashed at it. The warm and comforting lamps were nowhere to be seen.

The pressure that the beast held on Ritsu increased so much that the wall began to groan, and not too long after that, it burst in the same way the rest of the shrine had. The force of the monster's tail on the wall was released in an instant, sending Ritsu flying into a snow bank several meters away. He made a terrible gagging noise as he hit the ground and started coughing, gasping for air. Panting heavily, he looked back at the demon and watched as it continued to howl and roar. Even with all of the chaos, Ritsu could tell that the spirit wasn't evil. He could even spot the exact reason for its rage.

He wanted to help Teto. He wanted to help everyone. But now, as he slouched in the snow, trying to catch his breath, _he_ was the one who needed help.

And help was exactly what he got. With a furious battle cry, Mako seemed to come out of nowhere, with a knife in her hand. She charged at the spirit, aiming for its head, but it reared back and swiped its tail at her. Its frozen scales bristled up like the fur on a scared cat. Ritsu looked away nervously, but Mako dodged the beast's attack and slashed out with her own weapon. Ritsu's eyesight was blurry now, and he spotted a pool of red snow. Was that his blood? He was disoriented, but he heard the crunching of snow somewhere close by.

Ted kneeled down next to him. "Ritsu, we need to know what this monster is and how to defeat it." He talked gently and calmly, as if there was no problem.

He was on the verge of fainting, and he could barely cough out words, but he managed. "It's an Ice Spirit…not usually dangerous…has a…thorn…underneath its head…base of its neck…" Ritsu gagged and coughed something up. He gritted his teeth as he took short, sudden breaths.

Ted nodded, stood and went to join Mako in the fight. Ritsu felt yet another person near him. They had bandages and were trying to help him.

"Momo-chan is here, Namine-sama, I'll fix you back up. You'll be fine. You'll be okay…"

So it was Momo. He couldn't even really see what she was doing. All he could focus on with the little consciousness he had left was the Spirit. What if they killed it? They had no idea how to get rid of a thorn. How did it even get there, anyways? Could spirits have thorns in their necks? Was it even a spirit? This thing was huge, how would they help it if they knew how?

There were so many things Ritsu didn't know. All he could do is watch, with his eyes half open. His fingers were frozen. He couldn't even hear. His world was mute. But he watched Mako and Ted and they tried to calm the beast. It didn't seem to be working.

Then, the last thing Ritsu saw before he lost consciousness was the Spirit, as it shattered into a thousand glittering shards of ice.

* * *

_Well, this story just keeps getting more and more confusing. Even _I_ don't understand it anymore, really. You're probably like, "OH MAI GAWSH ICE SPIRIT WTF, MEIMEI?" but that was ridiculously fun to write. It was sort of… well, it was action, right? Yeah, I've never written anything like that before, I don't think, so it was awesome! Did you like it? What did you think?_

_And there wasn't much dialogue either, huh? You know, I wouldn't be surprised if you're really disappointed in this chapter. But I write because it's fun, so you can't say anything! Because… You ain't got no pancake mix! (Do you get that reference? Probably not. Go google it.)_

_It seems like Ritsu's always the one who gets hurt in my stories. And for some reason I always give him a different personality than all the other writers. I read all these fanfictions that have him be a bully, kind of, but in my stories he's always the victim. I don't understand why._

_I'm sorry I haven't updated for a while. I feel bad about it, kind of. Review please, nicely. Oh, and I feel like the blizzard in this chapter was really fitting, because I live on the East Coast of the USA, and we just had a snowstorm. Ironic, right? Anyways, sorry for rambling on. Stay warm and wonderful, okay? _~_Meimei_

_Oh, and another note. You have no idea how hard it was to keep myself from adding an esper into this chapter. Yeah, I love the Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. And also, did you know that it's Rin and Len's Birthday?_


	7. Let's Keep Going

**Curse of Each Season**

_Let's Keep Going_

_Did they remove the thorn?_

_Were any of them hurt?_

_Is the spirit dead?_

_Am_ I _dead?_

Ritsu's mind was clouded with questions as he groggily opened his eyes. He blinked as his vision adjusted. He was on his back, under several blankets. Confused, he held his hands in front of his face, turning them over. There was a large cut across the palm of his left hand. He furrowed his brow as he began piecing his questions and memories together, recalling what he could from before.

There was so much snow. And ice, too. There was… red snow? There was blood. His palm had gotten sliced by a shard of ice when the spirit attacked.

But the wound on his hand was already healing. He dropped his arms back at his sides and began to sit up, but fell back as a sharp pain erupted from somewhere near his stomach. He lay there for a moment, wincing, but bit his lip and lifted the covers to examine the damage.

His whole torso was bandaged, and there was a distinct red line extending diagonally downward from just below his chest. There was clearly a cut there, and he was bleeding through his bandages.

He put the blanket back down quickly when he heard approaching footsteps. But he heard something else too, like the barking of a dog. But it was a bit more ferocious, and longer drawn out, with a bit of a growling noise at the end.

The door of the room slid open and Momo stepped in, humming. She held bandages in her arms, but she dropped them when she saw that Ritsu was awake.

"Ritsu-sama!" She ran over and kneeled down next to him, grinning so much that it was out of character. "You're awake!"

He smiled back at her and nodded, not bothering to sit up again. "I'm glad to see you, Momo. Hey, can I ask you a question?"

She nodded vigorously, with a huge smile across her face.

He raised a finger to point at the short monster that emitted the barking noise. "What _is_ that thing?"

The creature he was referring to was small, and probably only about a foot tall. It was similar to a dog, as it stood on four legs and wagged a short tail, but its face was rather odd looking, like a lion mixed with a canine. It had a mouth filled with sharp teeth, and tiny, black eyes. Dark blue fur sprouted from its back and neck, giving it a sort of mane. It tilted its square head when it noticed they were staring at him.

"Actually, we don't know _what_ he is, exactly. He followed us home when we left the destroyed shrine," It waddled over to her. She began to pet it, and it smiled even wider, rubbing its face on her hand. "Mako looked it up in a book, and we think it's called a _Foo Dog_, or in Japanese, a _Shishi_. He's cute though, isn't it, Ritsu-sama? I wanted to name him ChibiMomo-Kun, and Mako insisted that we same it Samurai-sama, but Ted intervened. He said we should let Teto name it and she wanted call it _Yukiko, _or snow child. Because, you know, he followed us home in the snow and all. It's a cute name, I suppose."

"Wait." Ritsu frowned slightly. "You _named_ it? You don't even know what it is!"

"He's a _Shishi_, we think. It's like, a lion mixed with a dog."

"Yes, I know, you said that," He paused and turned to the creature. It grinned at him innocently. "But those are just the stone statues that guard temples and shrines! Haven't you ever seen one? They're made of rock, and they certainly don't bark. They're a fictional monster, they aren't real. They're just statues! They're ornaments made to ward off bad spirits!"

"Well, apparently, you're wrong." She turned away from him and crawled over to where she had dropped the bandages. She slid back over and set them down next to Ritsu's futon. "Don't worry about it now, anyways. I need to change your bandages."

Ritsu wanted to ask more questions, but he remained quiet. Yukiko barked, daringly.

"Could you sit up? I need to get to your back," She helped him sit up, but Ritsu groaned in pain as he did so. "And I'm not changing the bandages on your upper thighs. Ted can do that."

Ritsu looked down to see that he did indeed have bandages on his thighs. "Wait, why can't you change them?"

She looked up at him with an expression of confusion. "In order to change those bandages, you would have to be naked, and…" she cleared her throat, blushing slightly. "Ted will do it."

"Wait, what?" Ritsu gaped at Momo, mortified. "But he's a man!"

"Exactly." Momo replied calmly, beginning to unwrap the bandages around Ritsu's chest.

"And I'm a lady! No man is allowed down there, ever!" He was yelling now, and his entire face was red. He crossed his legs protectively.

Momo blinked at him, oblivious to the fact that he thought he was a girl. "He bandaged you down there when we put bandages on you in the first place! Even if you cross-dress, you're still a boy!"

Mako and Ted rushed into the room. "What's with all the yelling?"

"_I'M A WOMAN, DAMMIT!"_

**X**

Momo snuck into Teto's room, sliding the door closed behind her. Teto sat up in her futon, flipping through a picture book. Her expression was stern. Momo stepped over and sat down next to her friend.

"I didn't know Ritsu-sama thought he was a girl. He got pretty defensive about it." Momo bit her lip and looked to the door, as if expecting Ritsu to walk in so she could apologize to him.

"Let's not talk about Ritsu right now. I feel really guilty…" She rested her head on Momo's shoulder.

"It's nobody's fault, Teto-chan. Not even yours. It was just chance that there was a storm. And we don't even know the details about that ice monster yet."

"But I yelled at him," Her voice cracked as she began to cry softly. "He was trying to help me and I _hurt _him."

Momo awkwardly reached over and patted Teto's head, making her twin drills bounce.

"It's okay, it's alright…" Momo gave her pink haired friend a hug as she began to have a coughing fit. Winter was halfway over, but Teto was still getting weaker.

A scratching sound at the sliding door made them both turn to look. Momo crawled over and opened it slightly. Yukiko, the little blue lion dog, squirmed in through the small opening and bounded over to Teto on its short legs. It smiled at her like a human, barking and growling with joy.

Teto brushed her tears away with her sleeve and scratched the side of Yukiko's head, making him purr. She giggled at the strange creature, forgetting how bad she felt. Momo moved back over to join her, smiling gently.

"Teto, everything will work out in the end. Even if we get to our lowest point, we'll just stand back up and keep going." Momo gave her friend a look of hope.

Teto looked back at her and nodded. "Yeah, I know. Thanks, Momo."

**X**

Mako and Ted kneeled next to Ritsu's bed. He was turned away from them, and he gave off an annoyed vibe.

"C'mon Ritsu, stop sulking. You _are_ a woman, but you _do _have guy parts. Look for yourself." Mako frowned at him.

He turned over and gave her an angry look, pouting like a child.

She fluffed up his red hair. "How old are you, seriously! Haha!"

He tried to bite her hand, but she pulled back, laughing.

Ted sighed. "Ritsu, Mako will change your bandages from now on. Now, we need to figure out what to do next, because spring is coming in a month in a half and we should be able to start breaking Teto's curse."

They were silent for a moment, but then Mako gave him a look of disbelief. "What? Why do I hafta change his bandages? He can do it himself! Teeeeed, I don't wannaaa~!"

He gave her a stern look and she backed off, frowning immaturely.

"So, Ritsu, you probably want to know what happened after you lost consciousness, correct?" Ted looked back at Ritsu with a serious expression.

Ritsu nodded, smoothing his hair.

"Alright. So, you told me about the spirit's thorn. You remember that, right?"

Ritsu nodded again, wearing a bored expression on his face.

"Good. After that, I told Mako about the thorn and-"

"And I used my ninja skills to get the thorn out and the monster exploded and the shrine was destroyed so we picked you up and carried you back and you were bleeding a ton and then we found that Samurai-sama followed us home!" Mako interrupted, out of breath.

Ted gently smacked her on the back of the head. "We worked _together_ and got rid of the thorn, but the spirit pretty much exploded, so we don't know if we killed it or what. Afterwards, we decided to leave the shrine, as it was completely destroyed. We carried you back here, and bandaged you up. We found out shortly after that Yukiko had followed us home. You've met him, correct? And this all happened very early yesterday morning, so you've been asleep for quite a while."

Ritsu nodded for a third time. "Okay, I don't think you killed the spirit, as they aren't human and some of them can disappear whenever they wish. At least, this is what I think. I could be wrong, I suppose. Also, I'm convinced that Yukiko is linked to the ice spirit in some way. Ah, and I've been asleep for like, a whole day, so I'm really hungry. So how about we change my bandages, and then discuss what to do next over breakfast?" Ritsu's stomach started growling loudly.

Ted chuckled. "Alright, let's do that."

* * *

_My friend read the last chapter and told me it seemed like Ritsu died. But he didn't! And neither did I, as I'm still here. I was just really busy. And I was using the little free time I had to watch Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt. I'm on the eighth episode. Have any of you heard of that anime? It's good, but really weird. I've also started reading another light novel series. It was called Zaregoto, I think, and it's amazing._

_Ah, I'm getting off track. I wanted to apologize yet _again_ for not updating soon. I always say "Oh, ya, and I'll update soon, herpderp" but that is rarely true, I admit. Regardless of my procrastination and lateness, you still read and review, so that's good. You're wonderful for that._

_And this chapter was rather silly in some parts, I think. And that Yukiko thing is a Shishi, really. Go google it._

_I'm planning some bigger things for this story, and I'm thinking that it's going to be pretty long. So please continue to read it. And review too. Oh, and I've got a five day weekend ahead of me, so I'll try to write, maybe. I want to work on some other stories of mine, though. If you're still reading, you're wonderful, so stay that way, okay? Oh, and happy New Year, everybody. ~Meimei_


	8. Proceed With Caution

**Curse of Each Season**

_Proceed With Caution_

Ritsu grabbed another onigiri and stuffed it into his mouth. Barely chewing, he swallowed and used his chopsticks to grab a piece of meat. He threw that into his mouth as well, and continued to gobble down the hot food that had been set in front of him.

"Honestly Ritsu, I know you haven't eaten for an entire day, but could you at least chew your food?" Ted sat across from Ritsu at the table, resting his head on his hand.

Mako was scarfing down food almost as quickly as Ritsu. She sat diagonal to him, and had three plates of food in front of her as well.

"Mako, you too. It's disgusting." He frowned at them and sighed loudly. He wasn't hungry in the first place, but watching Mako and Ritsu eat was quite unappetizing.

There was a pause as the door slid open. Momo helped Teto walk into the room, and sat her down at the table, next to Ritsu. She then sat down herself.

Ritsu gave Teto a sideways glance. He wasn't mad at her or anything, but she had an apologetic look in her eyes. She glimpsed up at him.

"You've got rice… all over your face…" She chuckled a bit, and passed him a cloth to wipe his face with. He blinked twice, smiled, and wiped his mouth. Any tension that was in the air immediately fell away, and a joyous vibe filled the room.

Ritsu began to chew his food more slowly. Momo left the table and returned with a plate of food for Teto, who began to eat contently.

"So, Ritsu, what do we do next?" Ted questioned the redhead across from him.

Ritsu stopped stuffing his face and swallowed. "Well, we've got to test my theories, I think. But we can't test most of them until the weather gets warmer. So, until spring. Also, I'm thinking that we're going to encounter quite a few more supernatural beings, because of the disturbance that the ice spirit caused. This part of the mountain is going to become a gathering place for spirits, I think, and this is both good and bad for us. It's good because spirits could be helpful in figuring out how to break The Curse of Each Season. But it could be bad because not all spirits are helpful and quiet. I can almost guarantee you that we'll encounter more than one supernatural being that wants to kill me."

"Why would they want to kill _you_?" Ted asked with a concerned look.

"Some spirits don't like it when humans can see them. And they dislike it even more when humans bother them. Plus, people who can see and interact with spirits are said to be really tasty. So, I suppose they'll want to eat me after I'm dead. You guys too, you can see and interact with them because of your exposure to Teto's curse. And it doesn't help that I've got injuries. I'm a bit ashamed that I wasn't able to protect myself at the shrine, but I wasn't expecting that spirit to come at me the way it did. Anyways, we'll _all_ have to be more careful than ever. Not just me, because anyone who wants to hurt me will go after anyone I'm associated with. That means all of _you_."

Mako gave Ritsu a thoughtful look. "So, what are the chances that we'll encounter another spirit today?"

"There's a seventy-five percent chance, I'm guessing. And there's only a six percent chance that the spirit will want to kill us. Then again, I'm just estimating."

"Heh, you sound pretty sure of yourself." Ted chuckled.

There was a rolling bark and a scratching at the door. Momo got up again to open it and let Yukiko waddle into the room.

She paused for a moment, and then returned to her seat. Yukiko sat in her lap. "Ritsu, is Yukiko a spirit?"

"Pfhht. How would I know? I've never had an encounter with a _living_ shishi. Like I said before, they're _supposed_ to be made of stone. Yukiko might be a spirit impersonating a shishi though. He's probably trying to get on our good side so he can kill us in our sleep."

Yukiko whimpered, disagreeing with Ritsu's assumption.

"Or maybe I've just got a prejudice against any occult creature that I've never heard of." Ritsu turned back to his multiple plates of food and began to stuff his face again.

Ted sighed and rubbed his forhead. "Ritsu, what are we going to do next, really? Are we just going to wait until spring to try anything? That seems so… unproductive."

The Ritsu set his chopsticks down, and took a deep breath. He closed his eyes for a moment. Grinning, he reopened them and looked up and Ted with a happy gaze. "That's the thing, Teddy-chan! I want to go traveling until spring, when I can come back and help Teto more. You guys will be fine. And her condition will improve in the spring, right? So~ I'll just travel through the mountains for, say, a couple months, and then I can come back and we can find out how to break Teto's curse! Whaddya say to that, hmm?" Ritsu put his hands together, hoping that asking the question in a lighthearted way would convince Ted.

Ted bit his lip and glanced at Teto. She was busy eating, and didn't seem to care what they were talking about. She was probably half asleep, and she probably wasn't able to make decisions very well, but this was her curse, wasn't it?

"Teto, do you mind if Ritsu leaves and comes back in the spring?"

He held his breath as he waited for her answer. She chewed slowly, swallowed, and sluggishly looked at her brother with her eyes half open. "Nopesies. I don't mind one teensy weensy bit." She slouched back down and continued to eat her food in slow motion.

_She really is half asleep. But she just made a decision. So, Ritsu's-_

"Ahahahahaa!" Ritsu's girlish laugh interrupted Ted's thoughts. "I'm going to leave soon then! My wounds will be a bit better in three or four days, right? I may as well start to go gather my things!" He grabbed a few onigiri to go and skipped out of the room, unusually peppy.

**X**

After returning to his room, Ritsu sat down on his futon and took a deep breath.

"Aha, I was nervous there for a moment, I thought they wouldn't let me go." He laughed to himself.

_But then again, I can leave whenever I want. I'm not a prisoner… Still, I can't just go, or they'll hate me for it. _He lay back, putting his arm behind his head.

Then, Ritsu closed his eyes, and began to think.

_I need to get away from here. I feel isolated, being in one place for so long, even though I'm around more people than usual. _He reached for one of the onigiri he had swiped from the meal, and bit into it. It was already cold. _Anyways, I've got to travel to find the descendant of a fortune teller or something. That's one of my theories. I've got to test it, but I'd rather that they didn't know that yet._

He rolled onto his side, finishing the rice ball, and opened his eyes. He moved his hand down to his chest and touched the bandages lightly.

They hadn't been bled through since Mako had applied new ones before they ate. His wounds didn't hurt anymore either. He momentarily considered the idea of leaving the following morning, but rejected the idea as he pressed on his injury and felt a sharp pain.

Rolling over again, he sighed, and quickly decided to take a nap.

**X**

Later that night, Ted gently tapped on the door of Mako's room.

"Yeeeees, come in~"

He slid the door open to see her swinging a wooden sword at the air. She pulled a fancy move to show off.

"Ah, you're practicing?"

She nodded. "Mhm. Ritsu said there would be more spirits, right? We've got to defend ourselves."

Ted put his arms behind his back and leaned against the wall, casually. "Hey, Mako, you trust Ritsu, right?"

She nodded again, not looking up from her imaginary opponent.

"Then do you think he'll really come back after he leaves?"

She stopped slashing her weapon and looked over at him. "Absolutely. Why do you ask? Are you in doubt?"

He looked at his feet. "Yeah."

"Don't be."

He looked back up at her.

"Ritsu's a good guy, Ted. We know him. He would never abandon Teto like that. Do you remember, a few years ago, before Teto had her curse? When your mother was still alive?"

He clenched his jaw, recalling a memory. "Yeah. When Ritsu first traveled here, right? I remember, because he seemed too young to be traveling on his own."

"Yep. In the few days he stayed with us, he and Teto became very close, right? They love each other, like siblings. And even though they haven't seemed very close lately, Ritsu will _never ever_ leave Teto when there is something he can do to help save her life."

Mako spun around and began fighting the air again, cutting with swift strokes.

"Thanks, Mako." Ted left the room and closed the door in one swift motion.

That night, he went to bed, still a bit unsure if he could entirely trust Ritsu.

_

* * *

*headdesk*_

_*headdesk* *headdesk* *headdesk*_

_AHRGH. Why in the _world_ does everyone update their stories so much? I've got so much to read and review, and even more to write, and it frustrates me to the point where I begin to slam my forehead into my computer desk. Plus, on top of it all, I'm feeling even more lazy than usual. I think I need to go into hibernation, like bears do. Bears hibernate, right?_

_Ah, but I got to come home early today, due to the snow. And I'm using this extra time to write. And if I have a snow day tomorrow, I'll write then, too._

_Anyways, I felt like the black sheep in a flock of white sheep today. I felt so out of place, like I didn't belong. __Literally. I was walking home in the snow, and my coat is black, so I stood out quite a bit. Really though, it's snowing bunnies and sheep out there. That's a legitimate expression, right? Snowing bunnies and sheep?_

_I need to start a journal or something. You guys probably don't want to read my unrelated ramblings (Then again, if you wanted to, you could just ignore them)._

_I'm trying to update my other stories as well as this one. Stay with me and continue to read! And review too, please._

_I likeyoulikeyouloveyoulots! Stay wonderful!_

_~Sincerely Meimei, who desperately needs to stop being such a lazy bum_


	9. Remember, and Promise

_Well, Akita Daichu requested it. So, much of this chapter is mostly flashbacks. They're written in italics, because that's just how I do things. And another note- Yeah, Ritsu is six years old, but in this story, his current age is fifteen, like Teto. Actually, Teto's human age is 15.5, isn't it? Ah, I'll have to go look that up later. Anyways, this time, the X's stand for the start or end of a flashback. I'll say more at the end of this chapter, so stay tuned._

**Curse of Each Season**

_Remember, and Promise_

Teto rolled over again in her futon. It was past noon, and someone was probably going to make her get up, but she just wanted to lay there. She had remembered that Ritsu was leaving, and now all she wanted to do was sleep. Pulling the blankets over her head, she recalled the first time she met Ritsu.

**X****  
**

_He had been sitting on the bank of a river, leaning back with his red hair fanning out. He was sunning himself, like a cat, feeling the warmth of the sun on his skin. She watched him from afar. She wasn't used to seeing kids who were her age. She was eight years old, and every other child in her village was older or younger. One of her only friends was her brother, Ted. But this person, the one by the riverbank, looked just about her age. Gathering up all the courage she could, Teto proudly marched over to the boy, with her twin drill hair bouncing energetically._

"_E-excuse me! I am Teto Kasane! W-who are you?" She stuttered out nervously._

_He didn't move for a second. Teto started to repeat herself, but stopped when he leaned back and gave her a sly smile._

"_Ritsu Namine! Pleasure to meet ya!" He leaped up gracefully and held out a hand to shake._

_Accustomed to bowing for a greeting, it took Teto an awkward second to figure out what to do, but once she understood, she took his hand and shook it strongly. Ritsu gave her a huge grin, and laughed loudly. His voice rang out, bouncing off of the water and rocks. _

"_So, so, Teto! Do you live here? I don't, I'm a traveler!" He pointed down the river. "I came from that way!"_

_Teto was a bit taken aback by his forwardness. She had never met anyone like this. "Er, yes, I live in a village beyond those trees there," She lifted a finger in the direction of the foliage. "D-do you want to come play?"_

"_Mnn!" He nodded happily, his smile getting wider. He took her hand in his and pulled her into the forest, in the direction of the village. She stumbled along with him, allowing herself to be dragged along._

**X**_  
_

Ritsu was pretty loud and energetic back then. He had calmed down a bit, but was still pretty much the same way. Sitting up in bed, Teto pushed the hair out of her face and sighed, releasing a cold breath. She had gotten very close to Ritsu when she first met him. There was something about him that she wished she could see in herself. He always displayed his feelings for everyone to see. Ritsu would smile when he was happy, and cry when he was sad, and let everybody around him know what he thought.

**X**

_He pulled her through the trees, and they entered a dirt clearing. He stopped and looked around curiously with wide eyes._

"_Where's yer house, Tetokins?"_

"_This way, and please don't call me Tetokins. My name is Teto." She grabbed his hand and led him down the dirt road, in the direction of her house._

"_Aw, then what should I call you? Teto-chan? Tetocakes? T.K.?" he was so easygoing with her, it was as if they had known each other for years._

"_Just Teto."_

_They walked past houses, gardens, and people. Ritsu stopped to stare at each one of them. He spotted an old woman and ran over to her._

"_How many years old are you? I'm eight and a half!"_

_The old woman just chuckled. Teto bowed to her and apologized quickly, pushing Ritsu along._

**X**_  
_

He was such an eccentric boy. Pulling her knees up to her chest, Teto ran her fingers through her hair, which, for once, wasn't tied up. It curled down, just past her shoulders. She licked her lips and pulled the blanket over her shoulders.

"Hey, Teto, can I come in?" It was Ritsu.

"Yeah."

The door slid open. Teto listened to Ritsu's light footsteps as he moved over to her. He plopped down on the floor next to her futon, and placed something in front of her.

"It's French bread. You know that girl who lives next door, with the yellow hair? The one with the sour look on her face who wears her hair in a side ponytail? She and her grandmother brought it over. Oh what was her name? Neko? Nero? Nella? Ha, I can't remember." He sat cross-legged and leaned back.

"Hey, Ritsu?"

"Yep, Tetokins?"

"...hah, it's nothing." She chuckled and looked away.

"Eh? No! Tell me, tell me!" He moved closer to her, smiling easily.

"…do you remember when you first met me? You stayed with us for two weeks or so. You remember, don't you?"

**X**

"_A traveler, huh? Well that's pretty amazing for someone as young as you, Ritsu-chan!"_

_Teto and Ted's mother had welcomed Ritsu into their house like an old friend, with a warm smile._

_Teto and Ritsu began to spend every second together. They played together, laughed together, and even slept in the same futon. They were the closest of friends, after only a few days of getting to know each other. Mako, who had recently come to live with Teto because of her parents' sudden death, smiled for the first time in weeks because of something funny Ritsu said. Even Ted, the serious twelve year old boy, had started warming up to the redheaded boy._

_Ritsu was like a whirlwind, coming through and making everything lively. There wasn't a dull minute when Ritsu Namine was around._

"_Hey, can__ I ask you something? What is your favorite season?" Ritsu asked many questions. He always wanted to know more about the world and the people around him. He particularly liked asking Teto's mother questions._

_And she always answered them. _"_I love the spring. The snow melts, and everything comes back to life. Everything is new."_

_In the mere two weeks he had stayed with them, Ritsu had become part of their family._

_Teto loved him like a brother._

_Then one morning, he was gone._

_He left a note saying he would 'come back eventually, but wanted to travel, and see things.'_

_Ritsu Namine was eight years old, and wanted to see the world._

_A month after Ritsu left, Teto's Mother inherited the curse. When autumn came, she began to wither away. At the start of winter, she couldn't move from her bed._

_When spring, the season or renewal and life, rolled in, she died. Ritsu never never got to see her again._

**X**

"Of course I remember. You were my first and only best friend."

"If that's true, then why did you wait six years to come back?" Teto asked, timidly.

Ritsu waited a moment to answer. "I did come back. About two years after I first visited."

"Yeah, you visited for less than a day. That doesn't count. Anyways, it's still been _four years_ since then." Teto's tone was rougher now. She was angry.

"I'm a traveler, I told you, and I can't stay in one place for too long."

Teto turned to him, and pinned him to the ground, with all the strength she had in her weakened state.

"Sometimes it amazes me, how much I don't know about you. What were you doing, traveling at eight years old? Don't you have any family? Where do you go when you're not here? Why do you know so much about spirits? Who are you, Ritsu? I don't know! It's frustrating!"

"Teto, relax, and please let me up," He attempted to gently push her small figure away.

"No, Ritsu." She gave him a disappointed gaze. "If I let you go you'll leave for another year. I… I want you to stay."

He sighed, and closed his eyes for a moment in thought. He opened them a moment later, and swiftly sat up, with Teto still on top of him.

He gave her a hug.

"I'm not going to leave for good. I'm gonna make you a promise, Teto. I _will_ come back within three weeks. If I'm not back, I give you permission to hate me forever. And if I don't come back, but we cross paths later in life, you can kill me. I'll let you. Anyone who breaks a promise as big as this deserves to die anyways."

He released her and stood up. Teto went limp. "I'm leaving the day after tomorrow. And I swear, I will keep my promise."

* * *

_Aw jeez, those flashbacks stink. They don't explain anything. Eh. I'll write more flashbacks later, maybe. But you should be grateful that I'm updating at all. Ritsu is kind of a complex character, so flashbacks aren't the easiest to write._

_And about that there hug that Ritsu gave Teto? It was a friendly hug, so don't get any weird ideas, you creepers. Then again, in anime and manga, the childhood friends always either end up killing each other or getting married, I think. But not always. Meh._

_Does anyone notice how I never write disclaimers? Yeah, well, it's because I actually _**do**_ own Vocaloid and Crypton Future Media. …just kidding. If I did, the world would be a _very_ different place._

_Bwahaha! This is such a cheesy filler chapter, it's funny! I've got to work on other stories now, but thanks for reading. Review or I'll smack you with stale French bread. Just kidding! No, seriously though, please review. I'm getting the sinking feeling that only two or three people are following this story, which is fine, but if there are more than that I'd like to know why they haven't been reviewing! Really though, reviews make my day._

_Stay awe-inspiring! ~Meimei_


	10. Don't Doubt Me

**Curse of Each Season**

_Don't Doubt Me_

Ritsu gently shut the sliding door to Teto's room.

In a day and a half, he would be traveling again.

It saddened him, the fact that he would be leaving Teto and the others. He would see them again, but he couldn't help but wonder what would happen if something went wrong, and he couldn't make it back. He really did feel guilty, leaving the people who had been his only family for a long time.

He suddenly stopped thinking. He didn't want to recall any more memories, especially the ones from before he met Teto and her family. There was no reason to recall them, anyways.

He moved down the hallway and entered the main room of the house. Sunlight filtered in from somewhere, tinting the room red. Mako sat at the low table, looking off into the distance with a hand placed on the handle of her sword. She shifted her serious gaze to Ritsu.

"It seems everyone has been worrying that you won't come back if you leave." The corners of her mouth turned down.

"Aha, yep, it seems that way, I suppose. I guess they have a right to think that way, though, considering my actions in the past," He paused to sit down at the table across from Mako. "But I _will_ come back this time."

For a moment, the only noise in the room was the wind as it blew against the sides of the house.

Mako looked down, shrouding her face. He hand tightened around the handle of her katana.

"Mako, are you alright?"

In a swift motion, Mako climbed up on the table and swung her sword, stopping it only a paper thin distance from Ritsu's neck.

"If you don't come back, I'm going to find you. And I'm going to slice your head off. Or even better," She gently slid the sword down to Ritsu's chest. "I'll cut out your heart."

Ritsu looked at her calmly. Frowning, he sighed. "Do as you wish."

Pulling her sword away gracefully, she set it on the table and sat down. Placing her hands in her lap, she looked to the ground, hiding her face again.

"I'm going to get some rest, even though it's still pretty early. You should too, Mako. Everyone seems on edge today."

She nodded as Ritsu headed back to his room. He actually chuckled a bit. If he decided to not come back, he would be murdered twice.

Closing the door to his room, he lay down on his futon, covering his eyes with his arm.

A day and a half. When that time passed, he would travel for a bit. Then he would come back, or die.

For some reason, Ritsu figured he wouldn't be able to get much sleep.

**X**

Momo walked down the dirt path on her way back to Teto's house. In her right hand was a basket of bread and soup, a gift from a friend who lived across the village.

She trekked through the snow. Even though the people of the village had cleared most of it away from the road, a fresh layer had powdered the pathway. It only came up to Momo's ankles, but that was enough for her. Truthfully, she really didn't like snow, but she loved the mountains, so she didn't move to a place with a warmer climate.

Yukiko worked his way through the snow behind her. He was so short that he had to leap through the snow in order to move forward. Still, he yipped happily, trailing closely behind Momo.

"Hey, Yukiko-chan, do you think we'll ever break Teto's curse?"

The creature barked happily in a reply, rolling the end so it sounded like a purr.

Smiling warmly, Momo stopped to bend down and pat Yukiko's head.

Even Momo had been having thoughts that Ritsu might not some back. The little lion dog was very comforting though, and it pushed all of the bad thoughts out of her mind. Yukiko had a very odd soothing effect, but Momo wasn't suspicious like Ritsu was.

The sun was setting quickly, sending orange light bouncing over the snow.

Standing back up, Momo began to walk back home again. Ritsu would come back. She knew he would.

_

* * *

Ah. I just realized now that Yukiko is my OC. In a way, I'm sort of a hypocrite, because I don't really approve of adding OCs into stories. But then again, he's not human, and he actually is going to add something into the plot, soon. __Now that I think about it, I added another OC to a different story. What was it? A rooster named Janice? Yes, that was it. But he's not human either._

_Anyways, I love this story. I love it so much. It's just so fun to write, and I love the plot, and it's just so much fun! Bah, I'm so in love with myself right now. But everyone should be able to love themselves, right? So let's all be flamboyant now! Bwahaha!_

_Ahem. Really though, I like this story very much._

_So, review! Please! Tell me what you think of this story, how you liked it, what you think is going to happen next, what you ate for breakfast, anything! Tell me it all, I want to listen!_

_I love you guys. I'm going to go write something nonsensical now, but I hope to update this soon. See you! You're wonderful, so stay that way!~Meimirigu_


	11. Spring

**Curse of Each Season**

_Spring_

That day and a half passed remarkably quick, with very little interaction between Ritsu and Teto's family.

And after the time was up, Ritsu left in the morning, without a goodbye. He didn't feel the need to announce that he was leaving, so, being a very stubborn and opinionated person, he didn't.

Three weeks passed, and the snow melted into spring, but patches still littered the ground in some places. It was the day that Ritsu's fate would be decided- either he returned to the Kasane house and would live a little longer, or he would be killed, twice.

Teto lay face up on the front porch, looking at the sky that was partly shrouded by the overhanging roof of the house. The weather was already warm, but spring had just begun. Shading her eyes with her arm, she squinted into the clear sky. If Ritsu didn't return, she had permission to kill him, but she didn't want to. She just wanted to see him again. And if she tracked him down, she would want to spend time with him, not murder him.

She rolled onto her side so that she faced the road. Buds sprouted from the trees. Things were just becoming green. The weather gave life to all of the plants and animals. Teto liked spring very much.

And of course, because of Teto's curse, she acted with the season.

It was much different than winter, when she could barely get out of bed without assistance. In spring she got up early, all by herself, and was full of life. She had constant mood swings though, usually in coordination with the weather. When it rained, she sulked away to wallow in her own gloom. When the sky was clear and the sun was bright, she was cheerful and easily excited. It seemed that she was more and more affected by the season as her curse progressed. If the curse went unbroken, then by winter, she would die from the cold.

Regardless of the nice weather, Teto was feeling nervous. She tried to focus on something happy, but every one of her thoughts lead back to Ritsu. She couldn't stop thinking about him. It was around noon, and Teto was having more doubts about his return.

Teto shifted into a sitting position.

"Teto-chan~! Do you want some sweets?" Momo stepped through the open door of the house and plopped down next to Teto with a box of chocolates in her hand. Yukiko eagerly waddled over and purred, turning in circles excitedly.

"Oh, yes please." Teto accepted a piece of the candy.

Every spring and summer, Teto's village received shipments of supplies that they couldn't get themselves. And of course, they received other, less necessary items as well, like candy, books, and other entertaining items.

Teto swallowed, and suddenly her mouth felt dry. She wandered inside to get a drink of water. When she returned, Momo and Yukiko were gone. Momo probably went to clean something, being the busybody that she was.

Teto sighed and sat back down, dangling her feet over the edge of the porch. A spring breeze blew warm air on her neck. She hesitantly reached up and tugged the ties out of her hair. It fell to her shoulders in smooth, curly waves.

Smiling slightly, she leaned back. She felt so lazy. The sun warmed her pale skin. She closed her eyes. Teto's mind began to drift as she sunned herself like a cat. Soon enough, her thoughts came back to Ritsu, and how he was when he first met him. He was sunning himself on a rock, with his red hair fanning out in the breeze. He looked so feline and feminine. Ritsu had appeared to be a cool and calm person, but he was much more eccentric than his appearance let on.

She chuckled to herself. She really couldn't stop thinking about him.

She sat there for a few more minutes, in the sun, with nobody around. Mako was probably with Ted somewhere, sparring. And Momo was with Yukiko, somewhere else. For a moment, Teto felt lonely.

And then she heard someone calling her name.

"Teto!"

She opened her eyes and winced, blinking in the harsh sunlight.

"Teeetooo~!"

She shielded her eyes with her hand, eagerly searching for the source of the voice. The first thing she saw was his flaming red hair.

"Yo, Tetokins!"

There was Ritsu Namine, waving to her from twenty feet away with a huge grin spread across his face.

Teto gasped with delight and leaped from the porch. Smiling from ear to ear, Teto ran up to her friend and jumped on him, sending him toppling backwards onto the ground.

"Ritsu!"

"Ah, Teto! I can't breathe! Hey!" He called out in protest but didn't make a more to push her away as she smothered and hugged him tightly.

"Oh, so you're this Teto girl who I keep hearing about?"

A new voice sounded from Teto's left. She turned her head to see a _very_ tall girl with short black pigtails and two different colored eyes staring back.

"Who're you?" She stared at the figure above her with suspicion.

Ritsu sat up and casually draped one of his arms over Teto's shoulder. He motioned to the tall figure. "This is Ruko Yokune, a distant relative of a fortune teller who visited this village like, a hundred years ago or somethin' like that. Do ya remember my fourth theory, Tetokins? 'Someone skilled at witchcraft cursed the Kasane Family'? Yup, we're gonna test it out! Of course, I can't be sure if she's _actually _the descendant or whatever, of if we've got the right fortune teller, but we can't be sure if we don't try, right?" He let out a loud laugh and grinned brightly.

Teto pulled away from him and stood up, brushing herself off. Ritsu stood up as well.

Ruko held out a hand to Teto, who reluctantly shook it.

"I don't mean to intrude, I apologize for appearing so suddenly with Ritsu, here," Ruko smiled gently as she apologized. She was much more polite than Ritsu had been during their first meeting.

"Eh, oh, it's fine." Teto waved a hand in the air.

"Aha, Teto~ your hair looks funny when it's down!" Ritsu joked, bouncing one of her curls.

"Wha- don't touch my hair."

"Fuhuhuu~ but it's all fluffy and swirly!"

"It's not!"

"It is~! And when it's up it looks like you're got two drills stuck to your head! Haha!"

"Why you-"

"RITSU!" Suddenly the red haired crossdresser was tackled again, this time from the behind, by Mako, but he managed to stay standing. "Hey, hey! I knew you'd come back, you silly boy!"

"I'm a woman!" He whined back at her.

"It's nice to see you again, Ritsu." Ted stepped up next to him, smiling politely.

Ritsu gave Ted a big smile, and then turned back to Teto. "Tetokins, where's Momo-chan?"

"Eh, probably off with Yukiko somewhere."

Mako continued to cling to Ritsu from behind. "Hey, do you stuff your bra?"

"I'M A WOMAN, REMEMBER?" He yelled at her while trying to push her off of his back.

"Fuhuhuu! But I know you do, I saw you naked when I had to change your bandages!"

"Hey, th-that's personal!" His cheeks reddened a bit. "Oh, and this is Ruko. She might be able to help break Teto's curse." He motioned to the tall girl who stood by his side.

Mako and Ted quickly introduced themselves.

"Everyone, is Ritsu-sama back?" Momo called as she stepped out of the house, with Yukiko running in circles around her feet. "Why don't you all come inside? I've got snacks and tea!"

* * *

_Hah, I feel like it's been a while. Has it? I don't know, I'm terrible at keeping track of time. Although, I do usually remember when it's time for lunch. Mmm… lunch…_

_But lunch is unrelated. There's more important things to discuss, yupyup! Like how lately I've been feeling like Ritsu-chan doesn't have enough stories where he's the main character. I mean, go look in the Vocaloid category and make it so it only shows the stories that have Ritsu listed as one of the main characters. At the time that I am writing this, there are seventeen stories listed there. ONLY SEVENTEEN. And most of them are by Akita Daichu. Not that that's a bad thing, her writing is __wonderful~_

_BUT ANYWAYS. So yep, I think Ritsu needs more love. He's a crossdressing, twenty-five ton android with flaming red hair, a tiny top hat, and a temper. I mean, what's not to love?_

_Oh geez, I just did the sorting thing again with Iroha as the main character. She only has two stories. Mizki has none. ARFGH THIS IS NOT JUSTICE. _

…_FFF- LEN HAS 1,288 STORIES. That's like, three times the amount Miku has (439 stories) and makes up more than a third of the Vocaloid stories on this website. DANG YOU, YOU BANANA OBSESSED, ROAD ROLLING, YELLOW HAIRED SHOTA! Stealing all the fame! SHAME ON YOU. And I didn't even count all of his smutty, M rated stories! My goodness!_

_And, this is far too long of an author's note. Oh, and I forgot to mention that Ruko made an appearance, but I really hoped you noticed it anyways. I'm gonna go watch some anime now. Review, and do something wonderful! ~Meimei_


	12. Death of a Noble One

**Curse of Each Season**

_Death of a Noble One_

"Wah!" Teto's foot slipped on a mossy rock. Ritsu quickly moved to support her, and she fell into his arms.

"Watch your step."

"Ah, thanks." She leaned forward and stood up again.

Teto, Ritsu, Momo, and Ruko stood in a forest clearing. Most of the trees where still bare, looking like hands with long, slender fingers reaching into the air, but some had begun to grow buds. Winter still hugged the forest air, and it was noticeably chillier here. The ground was muddy from the melted snow, and it wasn't very stable. Still, through all the dreary reminders that winter was still clinging on, birds chirped, baby animals could be spotted from place to place, and flowers poked their green stems from the slippery earth.

"It's a bit dreary out, but it's refreshing to breathe forest air, isn't it? I'm glad we decided to take a walk." Momo surveyed her surroundings and brushed a lock of pink hair behind her ear.

Yukiko stood by Momo's foot, but wasn't making any noise. With a rare serious expression was cast upon his canine face, he sat like a statue on the damp soil. Momo reached down to pat his furry head.

Ritsu put his arms behind his head. "Fresh air is refreshing, but it's a bit dangerous out here. We're on a mountain, so the land isn't exactly flat. I'm worried about landslides."

Teto slapped him on the back in a good-natured way. "Aww, have some fun, Ritsu! It's spring, the season of life!" She threw her hands in the air and threw her head back. "The weather's warmed up some, hasn't it? Let's be happy!"

"You've got quite a bit of energy, don't you?" Ruko mentioned to Teto in a friendly way.

"Yep! It's spring! Of course I've got energy!"

Ritsu had informed Ruko of the Curse of Each Season while he traveled with her. Still, she hadn't mentioned anything directly about it since she arrived. Maybe she pitied Teto.

"Well, energy is good. I suppose you'll need it." Ritsu gave her a quick smile as he moved down a forest path. "Let's take a walk, I don't like standing around."

As they stepped down the path, Teto picked any stray flowers she saw.

"Teto-chan, if you pick all the flowers now then there won't be any when spring really gets going," Momo informed Teto gently.

"Okay, I just wanted to bring some home for Ted and Mako. They should have come with us, they're such party poopers!"

Ritsu chuckled. Teto was not only more full of energy, but she was far more childish. It could become difficult to get her to sit down and be serious. Still, her happiness was far more refreshing than the wintry woodland air.

They walked on for a while, occasionally talking. Mostly they were silent, and listened to their own footsteps. The sun was beginning to set, and it began to turn the trees red.

"It'll probably get cold soon, after the sun sets. I didn't bring a lamp or anything, so we'd better go back." Ritsu turned to the others and curled a lock of his red hair thoughtfully.

Momo and Ruko nodded to him, agreeing with his suggestion.

"Er, guys, where's Teto?" Ritsu stopped playing with his hair and a look of worry spread across his face.

Momo got an alarmed look as well, and she began to look around, fretfully. Yukiko, who stood at her feet, abruptly leaped away, with surprising agility. Momo didn't seem to notice that her furry blue friend had left her.

"Eh, she was right behind me, I don't know where she could have gone." Ruko started fiddling with a loose piece of string from her clothes. She was clearly guilty, as if Teto's whereabouts were her responsibility.

A high pitched scream rang through the air. Instantly, the three knew something was awfully wrong.

"Damn it," Ritsu cursed as he sped off into the forest.

"W-w-wait up!" Momo stuttered nervously as she dashed after him. Ruko followed in a guilty silence.

Another scream sliced the chilly air. It made Ritsu sick to his stomach, but he continued to follow where the frightened shriek sounded from.

Ritsu burst into another clearing where a monster stood with Teto in its claws.

The spirit looked similar to a bull, except for the fact that it was twice Ritsu's height and had six legs as well as a pair of arms. Two pairs of curled horns extended from its head, which was turned to stare Ritsu down with beady, orange eyes. It turned its muscular body to face him. Orange and yellow fur patterned its back and sides. It was revolting, and smelled like a rotting pile of garbage. With its greasy talons around Teto's neck, it bared a full mouth of chipped, yellow teeth.

Momo let out a scream as she entered the clearing and set her eyes on the beast. She gagged, turning away. Ruko stood in disgusted awe at the monster.

Only then did Ritsu notice the small blue dog that stood a few feet in front of him. A strong breeze ruffled his fur. Yukiko let out the loudest rolling bark Ritsu had heard from him yet, growling ferociously even though he probably wasn't even a hundredth the size of the burly beast before him.

Yukiko's fur began to bristle into what looked like icicles, and then, in a whirlwind of ice and wind, Yukiko transformed into the familiar, great, serpentine ice spirit. Its blue scales rippled and spiked in determination to protect its loved ones.

It reared back and bared white dagger-like fangs. Its blue body writhed and its eyes narrowed at the fat, grotesque monster that stood before it. The ice spirit parted its teeth and flicked a silver tongue in the air.

The bull-like soul let out a dry chuckle. It separated its oily lips and began to speak.

"IDIOTIC HUMANS, MESSING WITH SPIRIT'S BUISNESS. OBNOXIOUS IS WHAT THEY ARE. DETESTABLE, FOUL, STUPID."

The ice spirit flared its nostrils and growled deep from its belly.

"YOU DON'T EVEN SPEAK. WHAT A WEAK AND USELESS SPIRIT." The filthy beast released a dry laugh.

It began to squeeze Teto even tighter, and that was when the ice spirit threw itself into action.

It reared back and then forward, throwing its full weight into the attack. It struck with icy jaws and frozen fangs, clawing at the enemy's belly while being mindful not to harm Teto, who was pounding at the orange monster with small fists. The ice spirit was barely scathing the monster, and Teto's efforts were just wasted energy.

Ritsu cursed, scowled, and pushed away from the earth with one foot, sprinting to the bull spirit's left side. Hastily muttering an incantation, a burst of green light flashed from his palm and a long sword materialized in his hand. Grasping it tightly, he leaped into the air just as the bull spirit released Teto and roared, delivering a devastating blow to the ice spirit's head. Teto fell to the muddy soil below, and the ice spirit flew back, crashing into the trees. Quickly steadying itself, it slid forward and persisted to fight with determination, but blue blood dripped from a large wound on the side of its head. Ritsu sliced the sword through one of the orange fiend's arms, completely severing it. It fell to the ground, and the monster screamed in pain and anger.

Growling and spitting, it threw another attack at the ice spirit with double the power of its first attack. Red sparks flew. The ice spirit fell back, crying in agony. In a rage, Ritsu flew at the monster again, but this time aimed for the beast's heart. Stabbing the monster, Ritsu held on the hilt of the sword until he was slapped away by the bull spirit's claws. Hitting the ground roughly, he watched as the beast burst into a cloud of smoke, sparks and fire.

Taking a second to breath, Ritsu stood up and wiped his mouth. He turned to where the ice spirit had fallen.

All that lay there now was a small ball of blue and white fur. Ritsu limped over to Yukiko's limp body.

Momo leaned over the small dog and cried loudly, like a child.

"Y-YUKIKO! W-what's wrong? Wh-why are you just lying there? Yu-Yukiko!" Tears slid down her cheeks as she stroked the small shishi's furry mane. She drew a ragged breath and let out a cry of anguish. The clearing was painted a noble shade of gold as the sun set.

Ritsu's breathing was ragged as well. He noticed Teto standing to his right. Her face was red as she wiped away tears. Sniffling, she sobbed silently, trying to be strong.

Ruko was choked up as well, with a hand over her mouth. She wore a shocked expression on her face as fat tears rolled away from her eyes.

Taking a deep, shaky breath, Teto stepped away from Yukiko's dead body, and wandered across the clearing. She gathered the bouquet of flowers that she had picked earlier.

"We should have a funeral for this noble ice spirit." She rubbed her wet eyes and wiped her nose.

"Teto, when a spirit dies, they disappear," Ritsu told her, very gently.

"We don't have to bury him. Please, Ritsu." Momo looked up form Yukiko's body with swollen eyes and an expression full of sorrow.

"Of course." Ritsu tried to stay composed, but his voice cracked and tears began to spill from his eyes as well. Quickly wiping them away with both hands, he let out a ragged sigh.

"Wha-what's happening?" Momo stuttered.

Bubbles of silver light began to float away from Yukiko's body, and he began to fade away. The blood dripping from his head dissolved into white dust, and he opened one eye halfway.

"Yu-Yukiko…" Momo whispered sadly.

Ruko let out a loud sob.

Yukiko smiled in a silly way, and opened his mouth.

"Thank you, everyone."

And with his final and only words, Yukiko disappeared just as the sun dipped below the horizon.

"Yu-Yukiko, w-we should be the ones thanking you," Teto said to the ice spirit.

But he was already gone.

* * *

_Haah, just as I started writing that death scene, Miku's 'Hirari, Hirari' started playing on my computer. Th-that was sad, yupyup._

_Anyways, sorry that I killed Yukiko-chan. I've had his death planned for a while, though. Hopefully you didn't get attached to him or anything. Ehh, I'm sorry…at least it was a noble death._

_Oh, and yeah, for some reason Yukiko learned to talk just before he died. Yeah, I don't know._

_Thankyouthankyouthankyou for reading, and review, even if you don't usually._

_Oh, and yeah, Yukiko and the ice spirit are the same being. Who saw that coming? Raise your hand._

_I'm going to go sulk now. Be wonderful, always and forever. ~Meimirigu_


	13. Sulking, Sobbing, Smiling

**Curse of Each Season**

_Sulking, Sobbing, Smiling_

Ritsu gently knocked on the door to Momo's room.

"Momo, how are you doing?"

There wasn't a reply.

"Momo, please answer."

Silence.

"If you don't answer, I'm going to suspect that you're asleep or something."

"I don't want to talk." A near silent reply sounded from the opposite side of the door. Yukiko's sudden death had been the biggest shock to Momo, as she had actually developed a rather close relationship with the spirit.

"Alright. Don't mope for too long, Momo. This is the way life goes, and although it's hard to accept, Yukiko would have wanted you to move on."

He stepped away from her door and down the hall, feeling a bit glum. He closed his eyes, stretched his arms behind his head, and took a deep breath. It was only natural that Momo would be sad. Witnessing the death of a loved one isn't an easy thing to go through. Suddenly, Ritsu paused and blinked his eyes open. Had he just smelled smoke? Raising an eyebrow worriedly, he jogged into the main room of the house where he saw Teto holding something with her back turned away from him.

"Er, Teto, is something wrong? And what's burning?" He glanced around the room to notice a thin veil of smoke covering the ceiling. It was streaming in from a room he figured was the kitchen. A door was opened to the outside, and cool air was blowing in from the night.

Teto sniffled and turned around to look at Ritsu.

"Bread… I burned it."

A charred loaf of what Ritsu guessed was bread sat in her upturned palms. Holding back tears, she whimpered like a little kid. "I- I thought I could cheer everyone up by making some bread for us to eat, cause Momo's too depressed to make food and all… but I really can't cook even the simplest things!" Fat tears rolled down her cheeks as she started to bawl.

"And-and I started a fire intheoven and I put it out but itwassoscary and I almost burnedmyself and, and, and...uwaaaaah!"

Ritsu suppressed a laugh. Teto was sad, but her ridiculously childish state was comical. After a second, he felt a bit guilty that he was chuckling at her sorrow.

He sighed and put a hand on her shoulder. "It's just bread, nothing to get so upset over."

"B-but-"

"It's fine. The fact that you tried to do something nice will make everyone feel better." He smiled at her warmly.

"O-okay." She sniffed and wiped her eyes. A thin smile appeared on her lips. "I'll go throw out this bread. Hehe, it's so burnt it's funny, I guess."

"Heh, I suppose it is. Oh, and close the door once the smoke clears. It's still pretty cold out." Ritsu gave Teto his silly grin, and left the room feeling a little lighter.

He yawned and made his way to Ruko's temporary sleeping area. Teto's house had so much extra space, Ruko could have had more than one room to occupy, if she wanted. He softly rapped on her door.

"Enter."

He stepped in to see Ruko pacing around the large room with a worried look on her face. She stopped walking and turned her head to face Ritsu. She looked scared.

"I can't help but feel that I'm unwanted here. It's my fault that little dog creature died, anyways, and it's not like I was an expected or welcome guest…I'm intruding. I should leave in the morning, I'm just a nuisance, I don't know what to do, I just-"

"Ruko, you need to relax!" Ritsu gave her a worried, sympathetic smile.

"But I'm so guilty. And I'm nervous, because there's something I- er, forget that. I'm just guilty."

Raising an eyebrow, Ritsu chuckled. "You're shifty, but whatever. Try to be easier on yourself, it's not like it was your fault. Ah, and try to get some sleep, I have plans to experiment with one of those theories I told you about, so you'll need energy. Hopefully we'll test something out within a week or so."

Ruko gave him a nod, and Ritsu left her dwelling without a sound. Striding down the hallways of Teto's vast house again, Ritsu sighed. This was boring. He was bored. He needed entertainment.

Grunting, he stretched. Maybe he should just get some sleep.

"Ritsu, I want to talk to you."

Or maybe not.

Ted stuck his head out of the doorway that lead into his study. Ritsu nodded reluctantly and stepped into the room.

Shelves of books lined the walls of Ted's office, and a low desk sat towards the back of the room. Ted moved behind it and plopped down on a large cushion that served as his seat.

Ritsu strode in and sat cross-legged in front of the desk.

"What is it?"

"You know, Ritsu, how you said before you left that we might be seeing more spirits because of the curse's progression?"

"Yep."

"I haven't seen any, really,so I was wondering if you meant big demons like the one you encountered in the forest today, or if you meant small ones like...Yukiko..." Ted paused and looked down at his hands. Ted didn't show much affection for anyone besides Teto, but maybe he had a soft spot for the little blue shishi?

"Small ones. I'm not surprised that you haven't seen many, spirits are less active in colder months. Although, who knows if you'll see any? When I originally told you that, I was just estimating, so maybe I was wrong." He shrugged in an easygoing way. "Is that all?"

"Er, no, I also wanted to ask you something else."

"Spit it out then."

Ted leaned in as if he was going to tell Ritsu a secret.

"Do you know Amane Luna, a girl in town? He parents are farmers."

Ritsu cocked his head to the side for a moment, and then suddenly recalled who she was.

"Oh, right, right, a pretty girl with blonde hair, yeah, I know her."

"…"

Ted went quiet and looked away, with his face bright red.

"Ted…you…you like her don't you? Fwahahahaaaa~! Teddypoo has a crush! Fwhehehee…you're so funny Ted! Getting all embarrassed when thinking about a girl…" Ritsu couldn't help but laugh at his friend's pathetic appearance.

"H-hey! I've never really had a crush before…"

Ritsu stifled another snicker, but burst out laughing. He started to snort.

"Hahahahaaa! T-Ted, you're so innocent! How old are you, anyways? Seventeen?"

"Eighteen."

"BWAHAHAHAAA!" Ritsu had another laughing fit.

"Hey! It's not funny!"

"Urrf, Hehe, I know, but you can't honestly tell me you've never even thought about a girl in a romantic way. I mean, you've probably thought dirty things, right? Heh, pervert." Ritsu covered his mouth with his hand and held in another giggling fit.

"That's a lie! And you're the one who dresses like a woman and stuffs their bra!"

Ritsu cleared his throat awkwardly. "That's an unrelated hobby."

"Mhmm, yeah, right. So anyways, I was wondering if you could maybe… help me get a date. Please." Ted put his hands together as he begged.

"Okay! This sounds fun!" He threw his hands in the air excitedly. Grinning in a silly way, Ritsu stood up and began to head toward the door. "I'm going to go to bed now, I think. Let's talk more about Luna tomorrow, okay?"

"Yes, that sounds good." Ted nodded.

Ritsu began to step out the door, but suddenly stopped and turned his head to glance at Ted over his shoulder. "Hey, why are you asking _me _to do this for you?"

"Momo's too depressed right now and too shy anyways, Teto would tell everyone, and Mako- well, she's really obnoxious and pushy sometimes. Plus, I feel like you're probably the most responsible person here, besides me."

Ritsu giggled and left the room without another word.

He began to skip down the hallway, now feeling much better than he did at first. But before he got far, a painful scream sounded from the opposite side of the house.

It was Momo.

* * *

_CLIFFHANGER! Heehee, I'm so cruel._

_This story is now rated T for multiple references to bra stuffing, perverted thoughts, and blood (in earlier chapters). And because I'm paranoid about ratings._

_FWAAAH, there are so many developments in this chapter! Momo's now a shut-in, Teto's childish personality is really starting to show, Ruko's suspicious (I have The Song Of Lost Age to thank for the idea, so thanks a bunch!) AND TED HAS AN ADORABLE AND PURE CRUSH ON LUNA AMANE._

_AH, INNOCENT ROMANCE. It makes me blush, it does._

_Anyways, I'm surprised that I didn't get more of a reaction out of you guys from the last chapter. Well, I suppose I hinted to some of you that Yukiko would die, but I figured you still wouldn't expect it. Urf, or maybe people just haven't read it until now. Meh, whatever. But if you just read it now, please review that chapter so I can know your reaction. Were you surprised? Angry? Emotionless? Did you hate it? Were you speechless? Even if you were speechless, please tell me what you thought._

_Also, you should review this chapter. Lately, this story has had a lot of development, and I'm wondering if you still like where I'm going with it._

_And although I say that I write for my own pleasure, truthfully, I write for you guys. Even though writing is fun and has become my hobby, I really like writing things that others enjoy._

_I feel lazy. All I did today was write, listen to Ritsu's Eternal Force Blizzard on repeat, watch anime, eat, and read Junji Ito's Usumaki. It's a horror manga, and it's terrifying. Oof, I'm gonna have nightmares…anyways, stay wonderful, as usual, not that you even need to think about it. I'll talk to you again soon, sorry for rambling on so much. I'm going to bed, because it's like, 12:40 AM and I'm sleepy. Bye now._

_~Meimirigu, who needs to stop talking so much down here._


	14. Suspicion and Romance

**Curse of Each Season**

_Suspicion and Romance_

Ritsu stumbled over his own feet as he sprinted haphazardly to Momo's room. Teto, Mako, and Ruko were already there, kneeling around Momo's futon. Momo sat inside of it, hunched over, trembling and breathing heavily. The heels of her hands covered her eyes as she cried softly.

Ritsu stepped in and forcefully shoved his way between the group of girls.

"Are you alright? What happened?"

Ted entered in the room last. "What was that?"

Momo pulled her knees up to her face and sniffled.

"Momo, please, what happened?" Ritsu continued to urge her to give an answer.

"Yukiko…I saw…Yukiko…"

Teto gasped lightly and covered her hand with her mouth. Mako's eyes were wide, like a cat's. Ritsu didn't move a muscle. Ruko was silent, except for the sound of her shaky breath.

Ted spoke. "Wait, what?"

**X**

After a half an hour of comforting her, Momo finally explained her nightmare in detail.

"I fell asleep, and I had a dream." She hiccupped. "It was all dark and I saw Yu-Yukiko, and he told me something about a visitor. I-I don't really remember. And then he said something about a 'rook', but I don't really know what that is. And then he just w-waddled away."

"A rook? Er, Isn't that a piece in chess? Oh, but there's also a type of bird called a rook." Ted explained in a knowledgeable tone, with his random but useful intelligence.

"So, we'll get another visitor, who dresses like a bird? That doesn't make much sense." Teto pouted and twirled one of her curls absentmindedly.

"Or maybe they'll be dressed as a chess piece?" Mako questioned lightly, a silly smile creeping across her mouth.

Momo looked up and took a shaky breath. "But…I saw Yukiko. I must be going crazy. How did I get so attached to him? I don't even know…"

Ritsu gave her a gentle frown. "You're not crazy, Momo. Death is difficult."

Momo nodded and put her head back down on her knees. "I just wish I could see him again."

Ritsu, Mako, Teto, and Ted nodded in agreement. Teto reached over and gave her friend a comforting hug.

Ritsu exhaled, releasing stress. "I'm going to go to bed now. I'm pretty sleepy, a lot happened today." He glanced over to Ruko.

Her face was pale and her expression was a mixture of worry and disgust.

"This…can't be happening. I-I'm going to go to bed too. I need some rest…" And with that, she stood up easily on her long legs and sauntered out of the room.

Ritsu blinked a few times. "Damn, she's suspicious. Hopefully I didn't make a mistake by bringing her here." He sighed and turned back to Momo. "Try to sleep again." He flashed her a thumbs-up. "Sleep is good! It gets your thoughts together and lets your brain get organized, even if you have the occasional bad dream."

He then stood as well, and shadowed Ruko's footsteps out of the room.

**X**

Ritsu woke up around noon. Rubbing his eyes, he felt regretful that he slept in for so long.

Throwing his blankets off of the futon and rolling out of bed, he hoisted himself up and changed his clothes, sleepily. He did some stretches and threw some punches at the air to wake himself up. Taking a deep breath, putting on a smile, and placing his hands on his hips in a proud stance, he stepped out of the room.

A delicious smell hit him like a baseball bat as he entered the hallway. Ritsu jogged to the main room of the house, where there were several plates of colorful and hot food laid out on the table.

He wandered over to the table and sat down next to Teto, who was already eating daintily. Mako sat across from her, stuffing her face like a pig who hadn't eaten in a week.

"So…Momo felt good enough to make lunch, or in my case, breakfast?"

Mako shook her head with cheeks full of half chewed food. "Ish Ted whoo made food, Momo'sh deepreshud."

"Nobody understands you when you talk with your mouth full." Ritsu chuckled at her.

Teto swallowed a bit of rice and laughed. "She meant that Ted made it, Momo's still too depressed to do anything."

"Whoa, seriously? I didn't know Ted cold cook. But I hope Momo feels better soon...oh, and has she eaten anything?"

Teto shook her head. "We brought food into her room, but she won't eat."

Ritsu sighed and rested his chin on his hand. Momo needed to eat, she had to be strong. Too many things could go wrong for her not to be prepared.

The smell and appearance of all the food stimulated Ritsu's senses, waking him up even further, but it was too early for him to be hungry. He took a fleeting moment to observe his remaining surroundings.

Afternoon sunlight tumbled into the room through the open sliding door. It was another warm day, it seemed like spring was coming early. The air smelled sweetly of flowers. Ritsu had just begun to absentmindedly watch the dust motes float through the air as Ruko sat down across from him at the low table.

She silently studied the food, accepted an onigiri, and began to chew on it in a hushed manor.

Ruko was a strange character, and undoubtedly, Ritsu was suspicious of her. Her hesitant way of acting, the careful way she talked, and her guilty facial expressions had come on much stronger ever since Yukiko's untimely death. Clearly, Ruko felt that it was her fault, when in fact it was nobody's fault at all. But still, Ritsu couldn't help but question that something else was troubling Ruko, something that she didn't want them to know.

Ritsu, bored of listening to Mako's repulsive chewing noises, snatched a riceball to go, and wandered out of the sunny room to look for Ted. He found him without too much effort, flipping through the pages of a book in his study with a thoughtless expression displayed on his face.

"Hey Teddy, watcha readin'?"

Ted jumped a few inches when he realized that Ritsu was standing in the doorway. He quickly concealed the book beneath his desk. "Nothing."

Ritsu, doubtful, cocked an eyebrow, and moved over to the desk with a half-smile on his face and both hands placed on his girly hips. "Give me the book."

Ted shook his head roughly and looked away, pouting like a young child. He was surprisingly out of character.

As a sly smile began to spread across his face, Ritsu persisted to move closer to Ted. The pink haired man instinctively backed away.

"Give it!" Ritsu tackled Ted to the ground, like some sort of big cat, fighting for Ted's book. Ted tried to roll away, but Ritsu pounced on him again.

"Yoink!" Ritsu called out with a childish voice. He had managed to grab the hardcover book, and swiftly stood up and read the title aloud.

"Spring Romance: A man's Guide to Courting."

There was a noiseless pause.

Ted's face flushed as Ritsu started to snicker. All of a sudden, Ritsu couldn't hold it in any more.

"BWAHAHAHAAA! Wh-why are you reading this? Wehehe, you're so innocent! Oh my _gosh_, Teddypoo! You're hysterical!"

Ritsu burst into another fit of maniacal laughter and collapsed on the floor.

"Again, Ritsu, It's not funny! I've got no experience with this sort of thing!"

Ritsu held in the last of his giggles. "I-I'm sorry it's just that, I feel like you're too old to not have ever felt that way for a girl before. I'm sorry." He didn't sound particularly sincere with his apology.

Ted grunted, crossed his arms, and looked away.

"Aww, Teddypoo, don't be that way~!" Ritsu crawled over to his painfully innocent friend.

Ritsu gave him a calm smile, but Ted continued to look to the side. There was another pause, this time more awkward, as Ritsu scooted over and sat next to his friend, with his back to the bookshelf that sat against the wall. Ritsu sat in a laidback position, and deeply sighed, noting the comfortable temperature of the room. It wasn't cold. The room had a springy, yet musky air to it, unlike the chilly bite the whole house had during the winter.

"Hey, Ritsu, have you ever liked someone? Like, romantically?" Ted pulled his knees up to his face and rested his chin on them. His back was leaning lightly against the bookshelf.

"Of course. What kind of a hypocritical jerk would I be if I hadn't?" He laughed a bit at himself.

"So, do you feel that way about someone, now?"

There was yet another brief silence. Ritsu sighed again.

"No," He chuckled and shook his head slowly.

"Oh, alright." Ted looked up at his hands, feeling a bit disappointed.

Ritsu stood up easily and began to pace away. "I'm going to go play a game or something with Teto. Maybe we'll try to get Momo to play. Come and join us if you want, Ted."

Ted nodded in mute understanding, and Ritsu left the room without even leaving behind the sound of his footsteps.

* * *

_Seriously, all of your nice reviews give me such a huge ego._

_But, I suppose this story is pretty wonderful. *giggles obnoxiously*_

_Ahem. Seriously now, I apologize for not updating this sooner. A few things came up, homework got in the way, and a bunch of stuff has been keeping me busy._

_Also, I'm afraid to tell you that this might very well be the last time that I'll update until next weekend or so._

_Why, you ask? Well, I've got homework that I'm supposed to be doing now, I need to get to bed early cause I've got a small test tomorrow, I've got a school project that's due on Monday, I'll be at my local library's anime club for most of Saturday, I've got a _BUNCH_ of _GIANT_ tests/exams/annoying wastes of time every day of next week, and on top of it all I'm really behind on sleep._

_The only day I'm free is Sunday, when I'll be sulking because Pokémon Black/White version comes out in the US and I can't get them until my birthday, in April, because all I've got in my little piggy bank is three dollars and change. HRRGN I WANT MAH POKEMANZ. And of course, my friends rub it in my face that they've got it preordered. Dang it all to heck, seriously._

_Anyways, to all of you guys who read/review/send me messages might not (probably won't) be hearing much from me due to my lack of free time. I apologize, really. I'm not happy either. Hopefully I won't sulk _too_ much on Sunday, and I'll work on some sort of update or __something__. Anyways, as always, try to review, read when I update, and stay as wonderful as possible. Love you, darling~! _

_~Meimei_


	15. Exorcism at Dusk

**Curse of Each Season**

Exorcism at Dusk

"I want to start betting money on this game."

Mako grinned as she leaned over the low table, her eyes flashing as she watched Teto and Ritsu play cards. It was a rather intense round of go fish, and it was the only card game that both of them knew how to play. Both Ritsu and Teto were both trading cards at lightning speed and yelling at each other intensely, slamming their fists down on the table.

"GOT ANY ACES, TETOKINS?"

"GO FISH, YOU FOOL!"

It had gone on for quite a while, and although the game was mostly based on chance, neither of them were winning or losing. It was the afternoon, and the weather was warm and very comfortable, still. Spring in the mountains had come at a curiously early time. The three friends were quite satisfied with the weather and the entertaining card game. It was refreshing, to act childish and play a game. There hadn't been very much happiness since Yukiko's sudden passing.

The paper door to the main room slid open and slammed shut. Ted stumbled in, rubbing his temples with the heels of his hands.

Ritsu paused the game and looked up from the cards in his hand. "Somethin' wrong?"

"Headache." Ted replied unhappily, moving to sit next to Teto at the low table.

"Bwaha, I bet you're lovesick~!" Ritsu called out, laughing spiritedly.

Ted clenched his jaw and shot the trap a glare. "GAH, RITSU. They don't know about that, and I don't want them to, remember?"

"Eh, oh, right. Sorriez, Teddypoo." Ritsu said carelessly, turning his head back to his cards and waving a hand in the air to dismiss the matter.

"Lovesick?" Mako gave him a look.

Teto slammed her cards on the table, making her brother jump. "OH, TED! I'm so glad you finally got a boyfriend! And it's okay, we won't judge you just because you like guys! Although, it's quite understandable that you would tell Ritsu first, considering his sexual orientation…Ritsu, what are you, bisexual? Homosexual? Pansexual?"

Ritsu shrugged without looking up from his cards and gave her a bored look. "All of the above, I don't have a preference."

Meanwhile, Ted was staring at her in despair. "I-I like girls!"

Teto brushed it off easily. "Oh, goodness. I'm sorry about that then. …are you sure you don't like men? I could've sworn-"

"Teto, hush." Ritsu put a finger on his lips to signal quiet.

Mako wore a rare, contemplating look on her face. "Huh. You got a love interest?"

Ted looked up at her, and then began to blush furiously. He shook his head as he went back to cradle it in his hands. "N-no. Just a headache," He lied.

Mako nodded, the usual smile she wore returning to her mouth. "Okay."

Teto threw her hand of cards into the air. "I'm bored."

Ritsu sided with her, nonchalantly agreeing that the game had suddenly lost its appeal. They sat there for a few moments, in the premature spring heat, as if waiting for something to happen. Ritsu leaned back and sighed with his eyes closed, running a hand through his flaming hair. It flashed crimson in the sunlight.

"Ah, that's right." Ritsu suddenly opened his eyes wide. The usual silly grin he wore appeared on his face.

"What's right?" Teto gave him an exaggerated pout and rested her chin on her elbow.

"Those theories, remember? That list I made a while ago? We're finally gonna try one of those out tonight!" His grin widened as he leaned onto the table, batting his eyes convincingly. "I have it all planned out, I do. There's a field of grass, a little bit south from here. You, Ruko and I will go there and try to break the curse! Well, we'll technically be exorcising a spirit of sorts, but still, we'll be breaking a curse. We'll have to get some supplies before then, though, in the center of town. But still, aren't you excited?" Ritsu was beaming like a little kid who had just been given candy.

"Ritsu, don't do anything dangerous." Ted stated cautiously. He had leaned back, and was lying on the floor now, with his legs underneath the table and his arms behind his head.

"Ted, I do _everything _dangerously." Ritsu giggled girlishly as he stood up. "I'm a daredevil at heart, my dear. Didn't you know this? C'mon Teto, let's go talk to Ruko."

**X**

"So, tell me again how this is going to work." Ruko stated, scrunching up her face with misunderstanding.

"I've told you six times now!" Ritsu threw his arms in the air desperately.

Teto scratched her head. "Yeah, Ruko, what is it that you don't get? Ritsu's gonna break the curse. He didn't explain further than that."

Ritsu stuck his pointer finger in the air. "No, Tetokins, my dear, I'll _try_ to break the curse. Be very aware that this might not work. In fact, there's a fifty-seven percent chance that it'll fail."

There was a hushed bustle in the village's center as people hurried to get home for dinner. Dusk had fallen, and the sun was setting at an alarming rate, casting violet shadows all across the mountain's valleys. Ritsu carried a cloth bag filled with supplies for curse-breaking and exorcism. He refused to inform Ruko and Teto of the bag's contents. Ritsu occasionally stopped at stands where merchants sold various items. His friends waited patiently as he exchanged coins with the shopkeepers, haggling and offering to barter the whole time. Ruko could've sworn he even tried to seduce a couple of the people working at the stands, trying to get a good deal on whatever he was looking to buy. He would lean over the counter and talk in a low, soft voice. Or maybe Ritsu was oblivious that he was doing it?

They stayed at the village's center for more than fifteen minutes. The sky had begun to turn purple on one side with the setting sun. Teto was absentmindedly adjusting her drills of hair the whole time, while Ritsu shopped. Ruko was slightly annoyed that they had to wait for him. She got bored easily, to tell the truth. She wasn't the most patient person.

After long minutes of swapping items and money, Ritsu headed towards the outskirts of the village's center. He skipped along with high spirits, kicking up dust on the road. His hips swayed girlishly as he moved. Teto was oblivious, but Ruko detected the other girl of the town stare at him with jealousy. How _dare_ a crossdresser be prettier than an actual girl? Ritsu was stunning, and he flaunted himself with obnoxious vanity.

"We just need one more thing!" Ritsu exclaimed proudly as he walked, holding up the heavy bag that was now full of miscellaneous items. "What we need is," He held for a dramatic pause, "YOUR BLOOD!"

Both Teto and Ruko stopped walking and reared back tentatively at Ritsu's declaration. "Are you serious?"

Ritsu laughed maniacally, throwing his head back to the sky. He turned to them and grinned.

"H-he's serious." Teto backed away a few more steps.

Ruko scratched her head nervously.

The crossdresser stopped and giggled girlishly, and covered his mouth with his hand. "I was partially kidding. You will have to cut yourself and bleed a little bit for this exorcism-curse-breaking-ritual thing."

The two girls stared at the boy like he was an alien. But, with the turn of a heel and the wave of a hand, he motioned for them to follow him into the mountain's grassy valley. And, without question, they did.

**X**

"There is one thing that I need from both of you."

Ritsu was standing near the center of the plain. The tall grass around him was tinted crimson as the sun set. The blades reached up like fire, high enough to lick Ritsu's knees.

"That thing is," He paused to flick a lock of hair out of his face, "a promise that you'll do anything I say to break this curse."

Ruko and Teto, who stood before him, both nodded in unison eagerly. They had similar personalities, and they tended to act the same like that, although Ruko was a bit of an introvert. The two girls had a lot in common, despite their differences of height and appearance.

Ritsu's whole front was dark, as his back was to the sun. His shadow was cast long and dark on the plain. He bent down and pulled two short daggers from the cloth bag. Teto gave him an uncertain look.

"D-do you _really_ need our blood?"

"Yes, but only a drop or two, I promise. And I don't need it immediately; I have to set up first."

He handed each of them a dagger, as if that was the most normal thing in the world. He put his hands back in the bag to retrieve a tattered book.

"Step back, would you please," Ritsu said, pacing backwards tentatively.

Ruko eyed Teto, who was already backing away. She copied her movements and clumsily stomped back. The three were positioned in a triangle now, each at least ten feet away from each other.

"Stop. Now, let us begin."

Ritsu's usually soft vocals became steady and loud as he directed the two girls. Wind breezing through the plain carried his voice farther than usual, giving the impression that he had a larger presence than he really did.

Ritsu paused and took a deep breath.

"Both of you, make a shallow cut on the heel of your right hand. Only deep enough for you to bleed."

Teto pressed the blade of the knife to her palm without any hesitation. She was obviously eager to break her curse, doing no matter what it took.

Ruko wavered. She bit her lip, and gradually ran the sharp edge of the knife down her palm. She didn't like pain, or blood, even if it was her own. Her eyes became wet as blood welled up from the self-inflicted wound.

Ritsu coolly flipped open the worn book, and flipped through the pages before stopping. With a smile on his face, he held out his hand, palm forward with his fingers pointed upward.

"Both of you hold your palm like this."

They copied him.

Ritsu was grinning now. Obviously, preforming rituals like this gave him a thrill. Licking his lips, he began to recite a paragraph from the book.

Speaking in an unknown language, Ritsu chanted. Ruko and Teto just stared at him in awe, naturally. Both of them then flinched as a gust of wind flew through the plain. The wind was constant and made it appear that the three were underwater, with their clothing and hair practically floating around them.

With a burst of light at his hand, Ritsu called out the final syllable of his mantra-like song in a powerful and dominating voice. The torrent of wind grew stronger and stronger, gaining momentum and power each second.

Teto had to anchor herself at an angle, pushing herself into the ground to keep from falling over. The blood that fell from her wound was dripping sideways. Ruko, now terrified of the seemingly chaotic ritual, bit her lip hard and summoned all of her will not to run away.

Ritsu was just plain excited. He was almost laughing, and his face hurt so much from grinning. But, then, smiling like a vulpine monster, his confidence suddenly cracked when he realized something wasn't correct. He cursed and tried to close the old book that sat solid in in his hands, but it was unmovable.

Teto and Ruko had pretty much stopped following Ritsu's instruction to hold their hand in front of them. The two each had closed their palms and were using their hands to shield themselves from the gale. Ruko let out a worried moan as Ritsu began to sweat, running through all logical options in his mind of what to do.

But, before even Ritsu and his quick thinking could come up with a way to ease the chaos, a ripping noise tore through the hectic air, and each of the three was thrown backwards.

Silence ensued.

Ritsu, barely conscious, immediately worried if the others were alright, but the only things he could perceive that moment were the thump of his body hitting the ground and the distant chortle of the wind. The last thing he heard before he passed out was the calm chirp of crickets, making it sound as if nothing at all had just occurred.

* * *

_The exorcisms/chants/times Ritsu tries to break the curse are becoming repetitive. The next one will probably be better and more original, I hope._

_Well, it's been a while since we last talked._

_Unless you're one of those darling people who diligently spams my dA account. In that case, then we've probably been talking a bit more often. If you are one of those people, you've probably asked me to update my stories or draw Pokémon or watch an anime that you suggested or take a picture of my cat. But if you're not one of those people who lovingly spams me on dA, then it's been a while. And all of you, as a group, I apologize for this update-at-the-rate-of-a-snail and my confusing way of apologizing to you._

_I can't say I have an excuse for not updating this for something like two months, trololo, so, just bear with me, I guess. LET'S PERSEVERE! And I'm sorry to say that I have no idea when the next chapter will be out, pfft. ALTHOUGH, I CAN ASSURE YOU OF TWO WONDERFUL THINGS IN THE COMING CHAPTERS. The first is flashbacks. For the plans I have, someone's past is going to get revealed, oho. The second is the appearance of a certain UTAU who likes black tea and can transform into a dog. Oh, and there's a slight chance for more dumb and awkward romance that I suck at writing, yepyep._

_Long author's note, again. I'm going to stop now before I ramble anymore and bore you to death. Oh, and there's one thing I've been aching to tell you for the past two weeks, but I haven't had a place to use it. What is that thing that I want to tell you?_

_The thing I want to tell you is to stay wonderful, even though your levels of wonder have probably shot far beyond the corners of the universe. And, I love you._

_~Meimei, that girl who really sucks at constantly updating_


	16. Cliché

**Since it's been so long, why don't we have a recap that's several paragraphs long so it's not really a recap anymore? Starting from the beginning...**

At the start of this fabulous yet badly written and planned story, we saw a girl armed with twin-drills under a curse. The season of winter is hardest for Kasane Teto, as that's the time when she becomes ill. Teto's family decides they need to find a better doctor, a specialist, to help out. The socially awkward brother of Kasane Teto, Ted, calls upon the meagerly famed trap known as Namine Ritsu, who comes to stay with the makeshift family that supports Teto. In a chapter that dabbled in slight weeaboo Japanese, they discuss the curse Teto is under, and the truth behind it. The story behind the curse can be found near the end of chapter two.

From there, they talk about religion and luck and the possible ways the curse could be broken. It ends up that Teto wants so badly to break the curse, she won't have a problem injuring herself to do so. Ritsu on the other hand, cares much for Teto and wants nothing more than for her to be safe and healthy. Teto gets very mad at Ritsu, Ritsu feels heartbroken and flees the scene. The action starts there, when Ritsu takes shelter in a place that actually is home to a nonsensical, cliché Ice Spirit with an equally cliché thorn in its side. Ritsu is knocked out cold, Mako and Ted do some crazy ninja stuff, and the day is saved. Oh, and a creature named Yukiko follows them home.

There are some crappy flashbacks that explain nothing (there are more of those in this chapter), an awkward yet meaningful hug between the trap and the drill-head, a threat from the obnoxious ninja wannabe, and the departure of that traptastic specialist. After long while, Ritsu returns with a suspicious and lazy girl named Yokune Ruko.

On a random walk in the forest that turns bad, Ritsu and friends encounter another nasty spirit who abducts Teto, the damsel in distress for this entire, silly story. In the end, Teto is saved at the cost of a noble one's life. Momo was heartbroken, and still is quite so.

Momo sulks, Teto burns bread, Ruko is even more shifty than before, and finally, Ted reveals a stupid crush on a girl named Luna. Momo has a dream that leads to crappy foreshadowing, everyone gets a good night's sleep, and Teddy's awkward crush gets worse. To sum up just the past chapter, Ritsu flirted with several merchants and in the end, unsuccessfully broke Teto's dumb curse.

**tl;dr, this story is _really_ not as well planned as I thought.**

**Curse of Each Season**

Cliché

"_A miracle."_

_That's what he was. With bright red hair unlike anything his family had ever seen, with those almond shaped eyes that didn't resemble those of his parents, with his odd fascination of those things that they called "supernatural"._

_Ritsu Namine._

_A name which sounds like waves, that's what it was. And also, it was an anagram for "Tsunami Rein". Was it at all surprising that Ritsu himself caused waves? Waves, like those on the ocean's coast. They pull sand in and away, they manipulate the shore, they are powerful. Again, was it at all surprising that Ritsu's existence caused manipulation, like the ocean?_

_Of course, this could all have just been a silly coincidence._

"I found him!"

"Is he alright?"

"_Miracle. Such a miracle. A wonder, this boy is!"_

_His parents loved his interest in oddities, spirits and the like. They wanted him to do whatever he was good at, and in his case, he was good at seeing those mischievous things that others could not. He would often point them out to his family. Their desire for him to become a great person was as overwhelming as much as it was encouraging. Except, __his parents didn't exactly understand. He wasn't like they thought._

"_Father, look at that. That creature, it looks powerful. It looks like magic." He would point out these oddities, these creatures, to his family._

"_Haha! You have such a great mind, my son. You should become an artist with that fantastic imagination of yours." And they would always tell him the same thing. 'Become an artist, a writer, use that imagination!' But it wasn't imagination. Ritsu was logical and serious. He hated playing make-believe. He objected, saying they were real. His parents laughed at his inventive mind. They laughed when he once dressed up in his little sister's clothing, saying he was a girl. They laughed at him, as if his childish behaviors were normal. They were, all kids play and imagine and create magic and other things that don't really exist._

_But._

_What he saw _**was**_ magic. Nobody understood this._

_His parents, they encouraged him to do things he loved. He did those things. But those things, they weren't normal. Those were what upset his parents. He would disappear for hours on end, playing with those things he saw that nobody else could. At first, his parents didn't mind. They knew he went off into the forest each day, they knew he went out to play. He didn't need someone to watch him, he was responsible enough so his parents figured he would be fine. But then someone found out where he went each day._

"He's totally okay. He's breathing. No visible injuries. Look, he's curled up like he's sleeping."

"Can you wake him? What are you waiting for?"

_It was a girl who found out. A neighbor._

"_What are you doing, Ritsu?"_

_He jumped, startled, his crimson hair bounced with him, glowing in the afternoon sunlight._

"_I was playing."_

"_With what, Ritsu?"_

_She was a quiet and lazy girl. Not someone who looked to cause trouble. She was Ritsu's age, a few months older, but she always wanted to play tag or make-believe or some sort of game that someone like Ritsu had no interest in. This lethargic girl, despite her sleepy nature, she was normal._

_He was not._

"_I was playing with, playing with, uhm…"_

_He didn't know what to call them, those "magic" friends he made._

"…_I was playing with someone fun."_

_That was a good enough explanation._

"_Could I play__**, **__too?" She asked timidly, not understanding her situation._

"_Okay." Ritsu wasn't a fan of the girl, but he knew enough to be kind to her. He was always like that, willing to be nice to someone else even if it wasn't very fun for him._

_So he showed her his friends._

_The women who lived in the river, the cat with three tails, the reptile with a love for shiny things, the creature who ate dreams, the well-dressed man with an unlimited amount of limbs, the fox who denied all forms of charity, the bear who always walked like a human, the white butterflies that would cut you if you touched them, the miniature deer with healing powers, the monster who could generate flames in even the wettest weather, the monkey who always smiled, the green river boy who wore a bowl on his head, the spirits, the monsters, the aberrations, the oddities, the ghosts, the __**magic**__._

_He showed them all to her._

_And her reaction?_

"_I can't see them."_

_It was expected._

"But, but what if I wake him up and scare him to death?"

"Well _I _can't do it, can I?"

_She bit her lip._

"_I'm telling you, Defoko! They're there!"_

"_Ritsu, you, you're scaring me. Telling me that you see such weird things… Stop, please."_

"_YOU DON'T SEE IT? WHY? WHY? WHY? TELL ME, WHY CAN'T YOU SEE?"_

_Defoko began to cry, her sobs came out choked, but the sound rung through the forest like a sword cutting through the air._

"_I don't know why! Please, no more yelling!" She directed him urgently, balling her tiny hands into fists at her sides._

"_Nobody sees them. Not you, not mother, not father, not grandmother or grandfather, not the merchants at the town's center, not my teacher, cousins, aunts, uncles…" He clenched his jaw__**, **__and summoned a shaky breath. "YOU DON'T SEE. NOT YOU OR ANYONE. WHY CAN'T YOU SEE? WHY? ARE YOU BLIND? THEY'RE THERE! THERE! NOBODY, NOBODY, NO!" His voice caught in his throat. "Nobody, nobody can see. Nobody has eyes like I do." He choked the words out sourly, like bitter fruit._

"_Eyes…like…you?" Tears streamed down her face. He had never seen her cry before. Then, he realized__**,**__ he was crying too. _

_Moments passed, moments that seemed to last for much longer than they should have._

_They both stood there, heaving tearful breaths._

_Ritsu put his palms up to his face to rub his tears away._

_Ritsu opened his mouth to speak, to apologize. But before he could ebb out the words, Defoko, the lazy neighbor girl, had turned on her heel and bolted. Scampered back to her house, which was right next to Ritsu's. She dashed, sobbing, to tell her parents about the event that had just occurred._

_And Ritsu, he took his time getting home._

"Wha- what does that mean?"

"I don't know!"

"Eh, er, let's wake him together?"

_His parents didn't talk to him much when he finally got back. They gave him a few onigiri for dinner, and told him to go to bed. He followed their instructions, his obedient 8-year-old mind didn't object._

_He felt a pool of guilt well in his stomach __though. His "friends", he knew it wasn't normal for him to have them. And he knew it wasn't right for him to have snapped at Defoko. He knew it wasn't her fault, but he shattered despite that. It was funny, he had always been so cool and collected. It was just one thing, the fact that there was one more person who couldn't see the things he could see, that was enough to make him lose it._

_That night, thinking about all those things, his mouth became dry. He sat up in bed, rubbed his eyes, and left his bedroom with the goal of obtaining something to drink._

_He stopped in front of the door that led to the house's main room. A sliver of light fell through an open crack. He heard voices, discussing something._

_Ritsu, of course, stopped to listen._

"_He- there's something wrong with him. Whether it's because of stress or something wrong with his brain or what, I don't know. But, whatever this is, we can't keep him like this forever."_

_It was his mother, talking behind his back._

"_I know, I know. But what are we going to do? There's no place we could send him."_

_It was his father, talking behind his back._

_His mother ran her fingers through her dark hair. "Maybe he could learn to cope with this…disability. Actually, we could send him to that monastery, the one to the north of us. He could learn that those imaginary friends he has don't exist. He could become a monk or something. It's normal for kids to have imaginary friends, but, this, this is too much…" Her steady voice broke._

"_I see what you mean," Ritsu's father maintained his cool. "He's a burden on his sister as well."_

"_Ritsuo? I have to admit, Ritsu leaves her alone so often, she seems depressed. But would sending him away help the problem or make it worse?"_

"_Either way, we could always try it. Anything is better than the way things are now. Anything. We need to get rid of him for a while."_

_Ritsu was tense. He dug his toes into the tatami floor as hot tears fell down his pale cheeks. Suppressing a sob, he slinked away, unheard by his parents._

_When you don't feel wanted, you try to find a place where you _do_ feel wanted._

_When Ritsu was not wanted, he tried to find a place where he _did_ feel wanted._

_So he left._

_That night, Ritsu left his house with nothing but a bag of coins he had gotten for his birthday a few weeks before._

_It's not uncommon __for kids to try to run away. The author of this story tried to do it once, when she was a childish 7-year-old. She didn't even have the courage to make it off her front porch. But the kids who run away, they always come back, or they don't get far. They aren't ever completely serious._

_But, Ritsu, he really came to despise his parents, who Ritsu figured, wanted nothing more than for him to be their definition of "normal". He was his own normal. He was unique, but it was normal in his terms._

_So he traveled, at the unbelievable and stupid age of 8._

_What a cliché._

_But, despite the lack of sense to the matter, he did in fact travel. He remained in the same mountain range, meeting other travelers, merchants, and supernatural beings. He began to teach himself more about the occult things he could see. He visited all of the shops he could find and from each of them, he searched for books and scrolls about spirits and monsters. He became some sort of specialist on the matter in no longer than six months. Anyone would have called him a prodigy._

_And then one day, when summer was in session, he was basking in the sun by the side of a stream._

_He went there to think. He went there so he could clear his head. He wanted to go back and see his sister again. He might have come to hate Defoko, his family, and everyone else in his "old life". But one person he had always missed was his sister. The one who he traded clothes with just for fun. The well-mannered girl who couldn't see the supernatural__**,**__ but at least had Ritsu's familiar red hair. That's who his sister was. Ritsu regretted not bidding her goodbye._

_And then, by fate, on that sunny day, while Ritsu was sunning himself like a cat, he met Teto, who became even more of a sister to him than Ritsuo. He met Ted, who became something like a big brother to him. He met Mako, who was depressed and introverted until Ritsu made friends with her._

_Ritsu met Teto's mother, who was more protective and caring than his own blood mother had been._

_They really were his family._

_And then he left._

_He left because he felt lost._

_No, that's not it._

_He left to find his real family._

_No, that's certainly not it either._

_Why did Ritsu leave that time?_

_Why didn't he really say goodbye to Teto and her mother?_

_Why didn't he?_

_Would it have hurt more if he actually had said farewell?_

"Are you okay, Ritsu? Wake up!"

"If he dies, I'm blaming you."

"You, you can't do that!"

_No. That's why he vowed to always say goodbye from then on._

_But he knew, one day, there would be a time when he could not say goodbye._

_Everything he had worked hard to create would come to a crashing, smashing climax and it would end. It would be bittersweet, like the feeling you get when you finish a good book that doesn't have a sequel._

_His friendships, his knowledge, his love for the people who cared about him._

_They would end._

_That's-_

"Of course I can. You're sketchy, people don't really trust you anyways, Ruko."

"Do you mean that?"

"No, I'm only kidding, silly. But you shouldn't act so suspiciously."

_That's why-_

"Fine then, since you're not suspicious, shake him awake or something."

"Can't we just carry him home?"

"Do you even realize how much he weighs?"

_That's why he decided to treasure the time he had with his loved ones._

"JUST WAKE HIM UP BY YELLING REALLY LOUD, OKAY?"

"OKAY TETO, SOUNDS GOOD. RITSU, ARE YOU DEAD? WAKE UP, YOU LAZY MORON."

"GET UP."

"WE'VE GOTTA GET HOME."

"MAYBE MOMO'S OUT OF HER DEPRESSION AND BAKED A PIE OR SOMETHING."

"COME ON, GET UP."

"You two, stop yelling, would you? I'm alive." Ritsu rubbed his eyes and opened them to view the welcome sight of a starry night sky. Ruko and Teto stood over him. They were the ones yelling, talking loudly to interrupt his dreams.

"OH, I'M SO GLAD YOU'RE ALIVE." Teto yelled, suddenly realizing her tone of voice. "Oh, er, sorry."

Ritsu chuckled at himself, unmoving from his position on the plain's soft grass. "The damn exorcism backfired. It didn't help at all, and instead knocked me out cold. You two were fine?"

Ruko and Teto nodded in unison, similar as ever.

"Well," Ritsu propped himself up. "We should be getting back, huh? Before we all get bug bitten to the point where we shrivel up from blood loss or something."

"Yeah, we'd shrivel up like prunes!" Teto laughed out loud as she stood up.

Ruko stared at Ritsu, then at Teto, then back to Ritsu with the blood drained from her face. "_You can turn into a prune from blood loss?_"

Ritsu let out his bouncy, full laugh. "Anything is possible!"

Teto and Ritsu playfully teased Ruko on their entire way back home.

But the entire time Ritsu felt like that dream he had while unconscious, those memories he recalled, he felt like he regretted some of the decisions he made. He wanted to see his sister one more time.

But**,** it also worried him. The connecting of his current and past families, it could only lead to distress and anxiety. He hoped it would never happen. But, he was tired, his decision making skills couldn't have been very good.

But, despite the negative thoughts in his head, he smiled.

And he moved on.

* * *

_So I've seriously screwed up this story._

_It's just, I ended up adding things to the plot that I didn't want to be there, I've made many typos in past chapters, and to top it all off, Rook's planned appearance will be short and nothing that will allow for character development as planned. But I think we've learned that I'm not a good planner, no matter how far I plan ahead._

_I'm not sure if the end of this story will turn out how I planned. I'm not sure if the characters I want to add will be added. Actually, I'm pretty sure at this point that I won't finish this story. But despite my certainties and uncertainties, __I'm going to bite the bullet and submit this chapter since I've had it finished for quite a while. It was edited a long time ago by the dear Sawahii, who was kind enough to help me out. I'll have to thank her again for the great job she did._

_If this is the last, shitty chapter I write for you, thank you for reading and following Teto's problems with the curse. I'm sorry Ritsu hasn't broken it. Just imagine it all ends happy. And if this is the last chapter of any fan fiction that I write for a very long time, thank you even more for sticking with me. But _not_ all hope is lost, as I'm a stubborn mule and I'll probably change my mind last minute and come through like some sort of knight in shining armor with the next ten or so chapters of this train wreck._

_If you review, be brutally honest with your thoughts. There's nothing I hate more than when people sugarcoat things._

_-Meimirigu, an incredibly silly person who should not be allowed near Microsoft Word_


	17. Too Many Happenings

**Curse of Each Season**

_Too Many Happenings_

**X**

Over the mountains, in a valley directly northwards of Teto's residence, two monsters chased each other through a thick plot of forest.

"Come out, little oni, I know you're there."

A petite girl with a wide, animal-like smile clawed her way through the thick foliage of the low-hanging trees. Her nose twitched as she smelled the air. Grinning with the thrill of the hunt, she forged onward in search of the cowardly demon who had attacked from behind and then leapt away like a deer from a forest fire.

"Trying to banish a strong demon like me, it's entirely impossible! You're a big, silly goblin, really!" Her red eyes flashed and her grin widened. Her chin was stained with blood from the lamb she had killed and consumed only a dozen minutes before. She had the half-eaten corpse in the middle of a forest clearing when this ogre jumped her. The wolf girl had immediately dropped the lamb, without regard for who or what would find it the next morning.

"I can hear you moving around. Hey, I can smell you too! Let me taste you, I'm sure you're bitter, even more bitter than an orange peel! You must taste so horrid; your nasty scent is incredibly strong!"

The oni-girl panted hard. This dog monster she was trying to hunt, this girl was fast and strong. She had such a cute appearance, though!

Still, the oni-girl had to rid the world of demons and monsters! They were trouble, they caused sickness and killed crops and ate livestock! No good came from these beasts. Even when they were small and attractive like this one she had to kill now, they were murderous creatures.

All beasts, monsters, demons, spells, curses and cursed beings had to be vanquished. They were ungodly.

And of course, here's the funny part of the story, the oni didn't even know she _was_ an oni! She was a monster herself and had no idea. Or maybe she was in denial. Either way, how ironic! She wondered why this wolf-girl kept calling her a goblin.

The attractive wolf-girl wagged her tail and ran her tongue over her sharp teeth.

"Come at me, you ugly ogre! Let's see who's a stronger oddity! Let me taste your bitter flesh!"

**X**

"I never even liked prunes," The lazy girl stated bluntly in a lethargic tone, rubbing her eyes.

"I don't think I've ever had a prune. I've had raisins, but never a prune." The drill-head scratched her chin, "…is there even a difference between the two?"

"They're different dried fruits." The trap stated coolly.

The trio was trekking back home on a dry dirt path that ran between two fields of grain. The plants were already quite tall. The moon in the sky was only a sliver, but Ritsu was proactive and had brought a lantern, knowing what phase the moon was at. And even with the scarce amount of moonlight, the stars were as bright as ever in the country sky. Ritsu led the way down the road, walking faster than his friends even though his legs were shorter than theirs.

"Ritsu, slow it down, I'm exhausted." Ruko sighed, struggling to keep up with the spirited boy.

Ritsu thrust the lantern into Teto's arms and turned to Ruko. He reached up and clapped his hands loudly, right by her ears.

Ruko flipped out and blubbered for a while.

"D-don't scare me like that! Dammit, Ritsu, you little bastard!" She balled her hands into tight fists. Ritsu casually regained possession of the glowing lantern from the drill-head without a word.

They hiked fast and returned to the house fashionably late, or what would have been fashionably late if they had to be home at a certain time. Teto slid open the door and entered first with a smile on her face, despite the fact that she was still under a curse. Summer was the time when Teto's normal personality would show most, and she was usually energetic and happy for no reason. Except, her feelings and reactions were often dramatic and overly-exaggerated. Summer was always a dramatic season.

Ritsu, who had been in the lead, entered the room second. Teto had run ahead and beat him to the door, not that he was bothered by it. He enjoyed her summer attitude, she was so peppy and uplifting.

Finally, Ruko stepped through the doorway, yawning repeatedly, barely awake. Although, she instantly stirred into full alertness once she saw who sat inside the main room at the low table. It was someone painfully familiar to her.

Across from Mako at the table sat an awkward and nervous young man. His hair was messy and black, adorned with a red streak that was positioned similar to Ruko's blue one, except on the opposite side. He looked down anxiously at his hands, playing with his fingers. Once he heard the three walk in, he looked up and saw Ruko. His face lit up softly and he smiled at her, but with regret in his narrow red eyes. It was a bittersweet smile. It was clear to anyone that the kid was intimidated by his surroundings as well as gloomy about something.

Ruko stood there wide-eyed, with her teeth clenched behind a frown.

"Well, I'm super tired, better go get some rest!" she turned briskly and started to flee, but Ted's figure stood in the way. He was actually much shorter than her, but his expression was stern. Ted motioned to the young man who sat at the table.

"I think you know this boy."

Ruko took a fast intake of breath and puffed her chest out. She began to maneuver around Ted, but a hand grabbed her wrist and held her there.

Ritsu glared up at Ruko with his iridescent eyes. He had an unwavering and serious gaze, it was actually rather scary. "If you leave a pot of boiling water over heat, it'll eventually boil right on over. Take care of things now, before they get worse later," He directed her firmly.

Ruko looked at him with terror and agony clearly displayed on her face, but Ritsu just stared at her intimidatingly. He was the most threatening person there, despite the fact that he was the shortest, and honestly, the most feminine.

Meanwhile Teto just stood there, utterly clueless as to what everyone was talking about.

Ruko turned to face the young man who terrified her so. She let out a long sigh, knowing that she had to face what she was so afraid of, what she had run from for so long.

Ted motioned for Ritsu and Teto to follow him into his study. The three of them left Mako with Ruko and the strange young man in the main room. There was a lot of explaining to do.

**X**

"Arranged marriage?" Teto gave Ted a look of disbelief, with her jaw dropped.

Ted nodded slowly at Teto. "Apparently the two were close as kids, but nothing more than friends. It's just a bad coincidence that their families paired the two together. Ruko fled her village and traveled here with Ritsu, who I expect knew exactly what he was taking her from." Ted threw a glare at the girly boy.

The red-headed boy was looking around Ted's study with a poker face. "It's not like I didn't know, but I figured everyone should be allowed to love the person they want. Blame it on my habit of making quick decisions," He shrugged. "And it's not like she didn't want to go with me. Plus, she really is the descendant someone who could have cursed Teto, so it's not like my efforts were in _total_ vain."

Ted took a deep breath through his nose. "You can't screw with people's affairs like this! It's impolite and just not something that's socially acceptable."

"Says the man who asked me to meddle with his love life," Ritsu stuck his bottom lip out and made a face.

"Hey, that's not meddling if I asked you to do it! And I worked it out by myself anyways, you barely did anything." Ted retorted, his face growing hot.

Teto furrowed her brow, ignoring the talk of love affairs. She figured Ted was a homosexual and didn't want to ask about his boy problems. "So, now Rook is here to take Ruko home, or…?"

There was a pause, as nobody in the room knew the answer.

"It doesn't matter what their decision is. Ruko's been shifty the entire time she's been here. I'm sick of it and she has to leave even if she's not going back to her own village."

Teto gasped and slammed her hands down on Ted's desk.

"No! Ruko's my friend, Ted! You can't be so mean!"

Ted looked at his sister with surprise. He opened his mouth to talk, but closed it again. He couldn't say no to her.

The door to Ted's study slid open noisily.

"Ahh, the two kids out there can talk up a storm. They chatter like birds. Pretty ironic, with Rook being a bird's name and all." Mako stood in the doorway with a look of exasperation on her face.

"Oh, that boy is Rook?" Teto questioned.

"Yeah, he's the one Momo dreamed about," Mako ran her fingers through her hair, which was taken out of its usual ponytail. "Speaking of Momo, she's out there with the two of them now. She seems pretty happy and I think she might finally be cheering up!" Her frown turned into a smile as she finished her sentence.

Mako was really pretty that night. Her hair was not only down, but it was wavy, as if she had styled it. It wasn't as flat and boring as usual. Her lips were red and her cheeks glowed pink. She also wore a different outfit than usual, made out of purple cloth that complimented her pale skin. It wasn't cut much shorter than what she usually sported, but she also wore what appeared to be white silk stockings. You didn't wear silk stockings unless you were trying to get noticed. Really, Mako's appearance was very pleasing and attractive.

Ted took no notice, and Teto noted but didn't think too much of it. Ritsu really was the only one who saw how nice Mako looked. Obviously, Ritsu examined, this girl was trying to impress someone. He hid a smirk. How interesting.

"Anyway," Mako continued, "I sure hope Rook and Ruko work something out and leave soon, we'll run out of spare rooms in this house even though it's pretty much a mansion. Really though why do we live in such a big house when usually there's so few of us?"

Ted scratched the back of his head. "There used to be lots of people living here, back when Mom was alive. And even before that, when Dad was here. A few aunts and uncles lived here as well as our grandparents. This was way, way back. Teto, I don't think you would even remember."

"I do remember some," Teto closed her eyes in blissful thought, "During summer, when mom would make us fruit pies, one of our aunts would try to help, but they'd always add too much of one ingredient and the pie would always be way too sweet." She opened her eyes again. "Honestly, I really liked how overly-sweet they were! Sweetness is the best taste, except for the savoriness of buttered bread, of course."

She must have been so young then. It was a wonder that she could remember so far back.

Memories of Ted and Teto's mother rose to everyone's thoughts for a time. She was a good person, the kind who always listened to what you had to say and gave advice, but didn't force it upon you. She made the best French bread and always had some on hand. The best thing about her was that she wouldn't stand for unkindness, and made everyone a better person by doing so. Ritsu would've turned into some sort of a bully or a thief without her, but now he was just a feminine but strong boy who wanted to stand up and protect the ones he loved. None of them would have been the same without the love of Ted and Teto's mother.

As they sat in the silence recalling memories of the great woman, Ted suddenly stiffened, recalling what he almost forgot to do that night. It was only a few hours past sunset and he had somewhere to be.

He stood up. "Excuse me, I've got a date set up with someone and if I don't go now I'll be a bit late." He moved towards the door, but Mako was still positioned in the way. She briefly looked up at him with her doll-like eyes. Her gaze caught his for a second, but he thought nothing of it and moved around her, leaving the room.

Ritsu connected the dots and figured something out, but Teto, easygoing and absentminded in that season, sat there bobbing to a tune that was stuck in her head.

"It makes a lot of sense now that I think about it." Ritsu commented nonchalantly, not sincerely willing to meddle in someone else's love life again.

Mako didn't say anything. She wasn't crying, but the expression on her face was incredibly melancholic. She hadn't been her usual cheerful yet quirky self for a while.

"Ritsu, help me out." She bit her lip and blinked, trying to keep her tears from falling.

"Eh? What do you need help with? What's up?" Teto was so oblivious it was cliché.

"She's in love with your brother." Ritsu told Teto, sighing.

"Eh? Ah, whoa." Teto was honestly surprised.

There was an awkward moment right then, In Ted's study and library, where the three of them sat by lantern light and had nothing to say. It wasn't painful, but rather, very gloomy.

Mako tried to let out a sigh, but it came as a choked sob. Her face twisted and she started to cry, wondering if Ted, the person she'd looked up to for years, would even realize how much he meant to her. You could almost hear the sound of her heart breaking, she seemed so incredibly hopeless.

This was one of those times when Ritsu couldn't just sit and watch, as much as he wanted to not care. But Ritsu was caring. He could seem like a bully or a flirt or nothing but a tranny, but past everything Ritsu just cared for his friends with an incredible passion. Ritsu didn't want anyone to lose anyone else the way he'd lost his sister and his parents.

"I'll try to help you. But who he's with is Ted's choice in the end. Now's not the time to deal with this anyways, we've got far too much going on."

The rate of Mako's tears increased.

"Please stop crying, Mako!" Teto was starting to tear up as well.

"Calm down, you two, sobbing over this whole thing will only make you all feel worse," Ritsu was calm. "Let's just go eat some dinner, rest a minute, and discuss a few things."

Ritsu sighed at the pitiful sight of his two crying friends. He'd cheer them up soon enough. They were sad now, but he'd help them get through it. He'd fix the love triangle, make sure Rook and Ruko worked stuff out, try to keep Momo from depression, banish the curse that was the source of all the trouble, and make everything right.

Ritsu was going to help everyone, because he had the power to do so.

* * *

_Did you guys know that Mako's supposed to be like 21 or so? I picture her being the same age as Ted who, in this story is around 18 which is WAY OFF from his canon age which is 31 or so. At least Luna's her real age, around 18. But she's a minor character and I don't even think her age will be mentioned. And then Ruko and Rook are both around 17 or 18. Haha, oh man, please just bear with me with all of these ages and pretend as if they make sense. __All of these awkward relationships are a bad idea anyways._

_I am so out of practice with writing. I'm rustier than a broken tractor that's been left in the rain for 30 years. Super rusty! Anyway, after a hiatus of stupidity I have returned like a knight in shining (or maybe rusty) armor, here to grant you the next chapter of this nonsensical mess of a story! Sorry I stopped for so long. But I am here, once again. Where would you ever be without me? You'd be lost, you would._

_I'll speak to you again next time, once I'm done here! It'll be the 18th chapter then. Golly, that's a lot of chapters. Since this story keeps getting longer, I feel as if I should rewrite the earlier chapters since they suck so much. Oh man, I don't know if I've improved at all but some of my writing in those first chapters is just not so good. I'm worried it'll turn off new readers of this story, if they just read the first chapter and figure the whole story is poo._

_What do you think? Leave a review, if you would, even if it's only to send me some flames instead of warm and fluffy compliments. I'll use all of your reviews to warm up, since winter seems to have come early here. My fingers feel like they'll fall off as I type this, so surely you could write a review just so my fingers will stay attached to my hands._

_Well anyways, stay wonderful, my dear._

_Meimei_


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